Under a darkening sun

the miller makes a promise
his daughter in the balance
paper under stone as the great wheel
thunders round again
crushing seed down into dust

lilly pads and lotus
great watery fields of green
with blood laced white petals unfolding
under the immaculate unconcern of the sun

she dreams on the edge between
half above half submerged half remembering
orbs of eyes radiant with indolent avarice
in the large mouthed features of the fish
figuring eights beneath the drawn down faces
of the choiring frogs leaping
in lazy coils from pad to pad
the adversary waiting just beneath

the mill pond contains her history
the spring babelling out from under fallen leaves
she sits interpreting whispered prophecy
about the mounding and the making of the dam
the fool's desire to arrest the riverring
to capture and contain the night sky's twire
in the stillness of the world's darkening
bones planted high up there
as in the deep down of things
seeds of future reckoning informing
the pulsing chirp of cricket’s wings
as the day and night are evening

the water wheel turns
the waterfall is falling
and as stone rolls over stone
she overhears again the oath
spoken all too easily
with too many words
each new one further
diminishing
the vow he made to her

now the adversary stands before the door
the miller holding her bright spun hair
as if this golden offering could buy more
time but the adversary smiling says there
is no more time as the great wheel ceases
its constant rolling turning
to thundering quiet

her soft hair comes undone
under a violent hand



See: https://dreamsofawakingman.blogspot.com/2018/04/under-darkening-sun.html