\nOf mesquite, O night, O resonant night
\nOf owls and tricky rapids, in this hour
\nGuide my faithful warhorse aright
\nIn this crossing of this magic stream,
\nWhere the ghosts of ancient rattlesnakes
\nArise a moment from their deathly dream
\nTo view the crossing an intruder makes.
\nThus splashing splashlessly, now I ride,
\nSaluting the river with my brazen spear,
\nAcross through the shallows to the western side,
\nTo Mexico. Moonglow is strong, but sunrise is near,
\nAnd here I will abide when darkness is gone
\nAwaiting the impulse which will impel me on.<\/p>\n
\n
\nJust one game plays out at no remove
\nFrom reality, and its rules both produce
\nAnd require defiance of traps that prove
\nWhat you are. You must somehow turn loose
\nOf love\u2019s numerous and bogus avatars,
\nOf pride\u2019s super-subtle, invidious claims,
\nAnd all false illusions, from Hell to the stars,
\nAs the clock steals vigor, and all the other games
\nClamor for attention. But I have arrived
\nAnd crossed this river, one dragon slain
\nIn Bulgaria, the battles I survived
\nHaving cleared my soul of useless pain.
\nAnd now, freed from compulsion of choice,
\nI listen for orders from an inward voice.
\n
\nLast night I met a perished knight at arms
\nWandering feebly down the murmuring stream,
\nAnd we spoke awhile of debilitating charms
\nThat lurk malignantly in hope and dream.
\nDeath had relieved him of all but regret,
\nHe smiled, his eyes unseen in the ghostly shade,
\nBut hoarsely whispered then that to forget
\nHe\u2019d instantly take agony in trade,
\nAnd he reached forth to me his bony hand,
\nAnd I pronounced forthwith the living curse,
\nAnd he was gone with that crushing command
\nThat the dead must obey and none can reverse.
\nAnd the waterfall echoes its perpetual sighs
\nAnd I stand watch here silent at moon-rise.<\/strong>
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\n![\"On](\"http:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Haynes-in-Savannah-300x241.jpg\")
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\nR. W. Haynes has taught literature at Texas A&M International University since 1992. His recent interests include the early British sonnet, and he is completing a second book on the Texas playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote (1916-2009). In his poetry, Haynes seeks to celebrate life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without sounding any more dissonant notes than he has to. In fiction, he works toward grasping that part of the past which made its mark on his generation. He enjoys teaching drama, especially the Greeks, Ibsen, and Shakespeare, and he devoutly hopes for a stunning literary Renaissance in South Texas.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nwww.facebook.com\/PoetryLifeTimes<\/a>
\nwww.facebook.com\/Artvilla.com<\/a>
\nrobin@artvilla.com<\/a>
\neditor@artvilla.com<\/a><\/strong>
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\n goodreads.com\/author\/show\/Robin Ouzman Hislop<\/a><\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.aquillrelle.com\/authorrobin.htm<\/a><\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.amazon.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop<\/a>
\nwww.lulu.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop <\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/author\/robinouzmanhislop<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.innerchildpress.com\/robin-ouzman-hislop.All the Babble of the Souk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n