wildly Oscar Wilde

by Roberto Lavidez

my limbs

are wasted

with a flame

my feet are

sore with

travelling

but what

of life

whose bitter

hungry sea

flows at

our heels

I saw from

the black

waters of my

tortured

past

the ardent

splendor

of white

limbs

ascend

the cycles

of revolving

years

may free

my heart

from all

its fears

wearied

with waiting

for the

world’s

desire

aimlessly

wandered

in the house

of gloom

wisdom is

somewhere

though the

stormy sea

contain it not

an horror

stalked

before

each man

and terror

crept behind

look upward

where the

white gull

screams

what does

it see

that we

do not see?

what songless

tongueless

ghost of sin

crept through

the curtains

of the night

O beautiful

star with the

crimson mouth!

scarce had she

spoken when

the shuddering

trees shook

and the leaves

divided

O moon

with the

brows of

gold

in vain

sends peace

to peaceless

lands

to restless

nations rest

and the rude

people rage

with ignorant

cries against

an heritage

of centuries

to let

clamorous

demagogues

betray

our freedom

with the

kiss of

anarchy

the prayerless

vigil and

the cry

for prayer

the barren

gifts

the lifted arms

the dull

insensate air

ah!  leave it

for a subtle

memory

of those

sweet

tremulous

days of rain

and sun

till my soul

is a

stringed

lute

on which

all winds

can play

the dawn is

rising from

the sea

like a

white lady

from her

bed

it was

a dream

the glade is

tenantless

no soft

Ionian

laughter

moves

the air

O mightiest

exile!

all thy grief

is done

that we are

nature’s

heritors

and one

with every

pulse of life

that beats

the air

till the last

lifting of

the veil

and the

first opening

of the gate

©robertolavidez2014