This poem was inspired by “Eurydice,” an adaptation by Sarah Ruhl. And this is Ronald Fischman’s first poem to appear at vox poetica!
laughing like stones
falling
in percussive 3-3-2
mocking death
laughing is not allowed
must talk like stones
soft like
pores in your skin opening
what would they have to say
creative ways, perhaps,
to tell you nothing you can say
is worth the
effort
move like stones
a gesture cannot exist without
disturbing the frieze
so all stones react
all stones reflect
all stones repel
turning outward to curse
turning inward to wither
friezes morph frozen
expressionless, cold
weep like stones
feeling the saddest melody written by man
discover that you too are composed of
Godgodgodgodgodgodgodgodgodgodgod
And therefore must react with such passion
as you gave Moses
three centuries before
when you wept a river
even then
it
wasn’t
enough
