
the black
by Randall Nicholas
the black
perches
on a naked branch
then on your eyelid
tenderly
not terribly
twinkling first
with the chatoyancy of twilight
then deepening
to lusterless
obsidian
neither hard nor opaque
rather
fathomless
yet not abysmal
clairvoyant
as a spring
secreting from the deep
you shall in turn
learn to see through
till all around you
radiates
tenebrous opalescence
giving you owl’s eyes
to observe
inquire
acquire
the unnoticeable
yet all important
not to devour
but assimilate
and incorporate
as though you
were mysterious
the midnight meridian
by which you calculate
your whereinabouts
tangent to
your surroundings
everything once hidden
evident
connected
peaceful
immanently and eminently
gratifying
essential