No brave words

[artolmaeus]

when fear comes at you in forms, in bullets, in terror filled eyes spraying out of hope to kill you

afterwards you are found standing, or crouching, and before you, those now fallen

there are no brave words for this, but it was something done

to tear at the throat of a promising spotted fawn, so that your face is covered in its blood

and a silent forest is disturbed with shrill shrieks, but little changes as it passes

it is but the exchange for life for life for life even the forest feeds from all that falls to it

there are no brave words for gravity, it just happens

then, maybe in some idea, in some ideal, in some wonderful thought, of how it should be

of how we might govern ourselves, each other, one another, or the crowd may be shepherded

eventually, there is force behind any ideal, in a crowd, in a mob or an army, in the multitude

in the rattling roar of a stampeding herd, comes the adherence you will be demanded,

or die from being outside the circle,  there are no brave words for conformity,

but in comformity, brave words are considered in every defensive phrase uttered,

in every judgement of how pure the majority is, after all, the mob rules

best not to rock the boat, there are no brave words in the unrocked boat

possibly then, some sacrifice, fitting for all the wrongs we could ever do, to be forgiven all in all

some blanket far more secure than the best weaving could hold past being threadbare,

Jesus was a dark horse, supposedly more realized once riding the pale horse

there are no brave words for anything, even belief or the lack of it, but there is a bravery

in hateful, judgemental speech, protected speech when it is in the majority

when, you have the agreement of the crowd,

for there are no brave words for the man who faces the stones, the ignomy of the crowd given so fully to one such

and unravel the very nature of opposition with the deconstruction of a living being

by brave words that cut like knives, but do not stop the action

the actions of sacrifice, of rebellion, of refusal, or protest

these actions do not have brave words, they never will,

brave deeds have no words, because words cannot make them,

they cannot stir them, and in all of the time, the brave words of cowards and fools

lie comfortably on the tongues of agreement and righteousness,

to the victor go the spoils, goes the affordability of the brave words, so that they can say brave words

even though it is a festering stink, they cannot smell it,

somehow, you can feel it, you can see it, and even wonder how you could fight it

either you do, or you have brave words to describe why not

I have no brave words, I have no shame, so much I have left to drop to the forest

and I ponder deep within the roots, where it all goes

between the worms, the funguses and the new green shoots

I watch a large fox tear a baby rabbit's throat out, and I feel both of them

no brave words needed, one hand full of dirt

the other of air, water pours from a broken heart

and into the fire, my cares

no brave words, my black stallion is set free to run to the hills

or stay with me, or go where it may,

the herds are all around me, and I am not a shepherd

or any known sheep, or cow or whatever,

how much I have known life in a snowglobe or diorama,

once breaking the glass, having to really breath on my own

and the broken water has yielded incarnate all that was burned in a ring of fire

I am that I am, as too, like the quiet God I know, I too am nameless

no brave words to follow

to chase

or to believe

the noises of an all too loudly and creeping petty pace

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

the questions of the rivers cannot be answered by their fish

nor the earth its people

nor the people themselves

no brave words

yet, we say there is so many, on such innumerable shelves

burn the books or read them, come up with a new language

like all the old ones,

yesterday yesterday yesterday

goes nowhere,

if now there is bravery, then, now, there are no words

and perhaps something

that can be felt, punch or caress

ecstacy or embollism

orgasm or stroke

catch your breath, catch yourself

just be, feel the warmth of a fire

the pangs of hunger,

feed what is needed

let names be forgotten, let time lose its meaning

wash the pale horse

until it is gone or is gleeming