“Earth is despair and shame.
But I am no bird, and I
cannot escape it.”
Yamanoue Okura
without which they stand three on a hill old faceless not but silhouettes and among them crawl down where the beetles in the long tall grass dry leaf in the eye blind groping scratching shift through the grass scuttle like a beetle between their legs crawl about the three on a hill dark on a hill like a beetle body stiff without the shell brittle bones creaking through the dark blind groping grinding of bones twisted joints about their feet and the head down wide-eyed staring at the blackened earth the rocks and pebbles which wound the knees scrape and bruise the knees shuffle along a hand a knee and drag the foot then across again diagonal on scuttle on eyes wide about the feet the tall dry grass the old faceless ones upon a hill stand without and so to crawl among them there bent and stiff scuttle among their feet around then pause head up gaze beyond faceless beyond to where once a sky now lightless dark then hearing nothing eyes to the fore the weeds surround so head down to pathless trail scurry about drag body and limb through the grass about the three three without upon a hill old faceless not but silhouettes among them crawl down where the beetles eyes wide upon the lightless earth down through the grass wide-eyed staring at the blackened earth ‘til finally stiff to look beyond gaze faceless beyond like a beetle among the three old upon a hill wide-eyed staring from among their feet down within the grass staring stiff among the three where once a sky now none
Paris 18-09-89