Life and Death and Knowledge by Gabriel Gadfly
Life and Death and Knowledge
Gabriel GadflyI.
You have only these hours and days.II.
When you accept them,
you have no need of
afterlives or priorlives.
You have the single empty box
of a life and all the universe
to fill it with.III.
Live like this: there is an end to you.
Don’t fear it. Don’t wallow.
Flowers wilt. Rivers dry up.
Even the stars extinguish themselves.
Have your time and then let it go.IV.
Do not shy from your ending
with mad horse eyes.V.
Allow the box of your life,
when you have filled it,
to have its spaces.
Resist the temptation
to stuff the gaps with gods
who do not know you.VI.
Pull Uncertainty into your arms
and kiss her on the lips:
too many neglect her,
but she is an eager lover,
and desires only your attention.
Let her teach you how to say
“I don’t know, and that is beautiful.”VII.
You have only these minutes and years.
MARGINALIA
Thank you, M.
ABOUT GABRIEL GADFLY
Gabriel Gadly was raised in Ozark, Alabama, just outside Fort Rucker Army base. He now lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Since 2009, Gabriel has published his poetry directly to readers through his website, http://gabrielgadly.com, with new poems appearing every week. His poetry has appeared in Four & Twenty, Borderline, Anatomy & Etymology, and Subtext Queer Arts Magazine and on the hundreds of blogs, Facebook pages, and Tumblr accounts of readers who shared his work. Gabriel’s… (more)
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ENDNOTES
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Moon Over Martinborough
You are fantastic. What excellent poetry you choose. Thank you.
heidifay
Loved this poem. Thanks for sharing!
The Bedside Poet
=). It’s wonderful, isn’t it?