THE DARK MEN

THE DARK MEN

                they told me all about them

                the Dark Men les hommes noirs

           orange and yellow dapplings
             move with the breeze sway
               of leafy shadows on the wall
            minutes before they go dark
             dark as the Dark Men

            we cannot see the Dark Men
              but feel their presence near
            as they lead us down footpaths
          we could never find on our own

          footpaths twist into a labyrinth
                and we know the difference
              between a labyrinth and a maze

                the former a cul-de-sac with
            no side channels to be lost in

          the latter all maddening
                passages and hairpin turns
              most of which lead nowhere

              there is no need here for

                Theseus' legendary precaution
           the way out lies in turning
             back the way you came

           in the distance a flinty whine
          which no one can place
          echoing from the stone depths
           all that remains of the Dark Men

                the clockwork mechanism

                of a long vanished automaton

(c) ERIC BASSO       

July 21, 2014