Lost Muse

By Cliff Lake

 

Lost Muse

 

Between and behind the veils they are,

Banished by greed and ignorance,

And a lust for power over all creatures.

An eviction enacted through lies and violences,

By the unworthy and the uncouth.

For long ago was chosen

The Path of Iron:

Cold, hard,

And malleable to the will of small men,

Who cannot dream beyond

What they would take unbidden.

Tricksters they were named,

And were depicted of ugly mien,

Of as corrupted men,

Horned and furious.

Once they were guides,

Once we had teachers,

Muses and spirits,

Escorts of The Way.

Some hear them whisper yet,

Pale voices singing from a coruscating beyond,

Giving glimpses of tales wondrous,

Their meaning deep woven in parable,

That those who would hear,

May taste of what was,

And what can be,

If we could but shake these shackles

Binding us and keeping us,

When we could be free between the stars,

Whence we came in the long before,

Before time was twisted,

Before we chose to ignore our light within,

Before the lasting dark we inhabit.

Once we walked with them,

Brothers in light,

As we should be,

But instead are we locked in these casings,

Pursuing what was freely given,

That we now keep from each other,

For gain that profits nothing

At our inevitable demise.

In the dark we are,

We need not stay –

This is our long dark

We need not stay.

 

Cliff Lake 12/13/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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