Try to Revere the Irreversible

After "Try to Praise the Mutilated World" by Adam Zagajewski

Try to revere the irreversible.

No. Not irreversible.

Forever and promise

Only flirt, never vow. Rather,

Praise the inescapable, the unquenchable

Desire of your hands for

Moisture beyond soap, for

Touch beyond themselves, for

The solidity of a July,

November,

Next year.

Don’t dwell. Only embrace

That itch in your nose for gasoline,

Your itchy feet,

The fragments of expectation

Left in the glove compartment.

You may still find honey

In the hive above the door,

Meter in the lingering timbre

Of the classroom clock

Clicking in your mind

From time to time.

Or not.

Not every birthmark

Is a rune.

Moles are both

Burrs and beauty marks.

Still.

Praise what none can fly from

And let the fleeting

Fly where it may.