an art object for contemplationInspired by John Senior
The Way Down and Out:
The Occult in Symbolist Literature
I. The Way In
A stranger stops and bends
her brass reflectionswhile she drops her stale gardenia
down my wailing saxophone.A deep depression follows me
the moment of her letting go.
II. The Way Down
I lug the aching horn to work
and see myself in pools of rain
a stranger now oblivious to pain.
III. The Way Out
In mournful, Grecian bars
escape is going up on stage
or going down in flames.Glinting like a shrine or glimmering in hell
my ups and downs combine.
IV. The Way Up
My saxophone is glowing
as I crawl toward the rim.
V. The Way Back
An iridescent flower rises
weightless in the bell.
Copyright
Jimmy Warner Design 2007
