THE
RIDDLER OF EPHESUS
-
John
Eppel (South Africa)
The feather that drops on a dying rat
from a great white bird in the distant sky,
blue as the eyes of a Siamese cat,
forget-me-nots on an old straw hat…
is the symbol of lies that do not lie.
Heraclitus and his paradoxes:
boxes inside boxes inside boxes.
The feather that drops on a dying man
from a great black bird in the distant sky,
loud as the clang of a watering can,
sticks on the vellum go rat-rataplan…
is the symbol of lies that do not lie.
Heraclitus and his paradoxes:
boxes inside boxes inside boxes.
The feather that drops on a living child
from a great grey bird in the distant sky,
soft as a pillow stuffed with down,
ostrich plumes of a duster’s crown…
is the symbol of lies that do not lie.
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