The Unattainable Earth

The Unattainable Earth
Lies beyond the borders of Proof
Yet evidence collects in fabrics and skin
Tattooed with faded ink
Hinting at design
Like a history of stains
Bearing testimony to the needle
While leaving the artist unrevealed

The Unattainable Earth
Can be glimpsed in golden frames
Portraits of young men
Made old by worrying guilt
Hung crooked on careless wires
Supported by the pain of nails
Driven not into stigmata
But into moldy drywall

The Unattainable Earth
Can never be burned
By the fires Prometheus stole for man
Lonely ships sail daily
For ports described with glowing praise
In pamphlets crumpled and discarded
By those who have attained
The Earth we all stand on

--------------------------------

Credits: Poetry and Collage by Jay Larsen