Buried
(January 1969)
Roofed by the roots of trees,
he lies;
earth and stone like a blanket
fallen over a sleepers face.
The low tunnel ends in smooth wall,
windowless, each brick firm
and meticulously placed;
the discovery admitted,
he sprawls
deaf to those many nights
when he would lie listening
through hours of drum-beat darkness.
What use now, to burst through
enclosing strata
into black night air,
where roots of stars protrude
from the sky's freezing void.
Copyright © Bernard Gilhooly - All Rights Reserved
Roofed by the roots of trees,
he lies;
earth and stone like a blanket
fallen over a sleepers face.
The low tunnel ends in smooth wall,
windowless, each brick firm
and meticulously placed;
the discovery admitted,
he sprawls
deaf to those many nights
when he would lie listening
through hours of drum-beat darkness.
What use now, to burst through
enclosing strata
into black night air,
where roots of stars protrude
from the sky's freezing void.
Copyright © Bernard Gilhooly - All Rights Reserved