The Mortal Limit
--
A Poem Inspired by Robert Penn Warren’s “Mortal Limit”
How far and how vast is the sky
that stretches overhead like blown glass
that shimmers with shadows and shapes
like the ripples in an indefinite ocean
How deep and how perilous is the mountain root
which pierces through the earth like some spear
that is shoved into a vermilion forge with care
that glows brightly like a ripe lemon
about to burst from the pressure
How cold and how burning are the desert sands
that hiss and spit like some venomous snake
with sparkling, coiled quartz scales
that twinkle and fall over curves like stars
with nothing but an indiscernible pull to guide them
How brief and how terrifying is the mortal limit
that which we cannot deny or change
for even the altering sky is caught in a wheel
and the steadfast mountain root is worn away by the clock
and the desert sands are lifted from grounding chains
So when the mortal limit comes
do not fear its sudden descent
for even the matriarch of time
cannot break such restraints
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