Immovable
from this place.
Static man,
turned to stone,
oh, so long ago.
The vines and briars
grow all over you.
Testament
to rigidity.
Sun and wind
have scored you.
Snow and rain
have weathered your face.
Some would say
you look good for your age,
but you’ve been still
so long,
what does it even matter?
Achieved your pinnacle
and stayed in place,
or faced the Gorgon
without your mirror shield.
This fate befalls
many who have tried
to do
the impossible.
Success or failure,
the outcome negligible.
First the feet calcify,
and concretions take the legs.
As if in defiance
of the reality,
the arms and torso
become frozen
in a moment of movement.
Your face
looks reflective,
eyes calm,
as if accepting your fate.
No longer a man,
but a moment,
trapped in white marble clast.
I wonder
if you still wonder
of the world?
If you could,
would you take
another chance?
Or does residing
here
as a monument
fulfill
every hope and desire?
Is it my imagination,
or does some spirit
still stir
deep within you?
Is there still something behind
those slate-grey eyes
that seeks
a different fortune?
Just as I turn to leave,
from the corner of my eye,
I think I see
your features change.
I think I hear
a sigh.
DJR – 2023
