Svetaketu Poem by Justin Aptaker

We, the gods
must always be awake
sleep is not permitted
for the immortal and the wicked

we reckless lovers
living, always
leaving, sometimes
in a constant state of arrival
always departing

last night, or some night
it seems
I dreamed
of electric sheep
who were eating my liver
again and again and again

eternity
is far too much
for mortals to bear
our minds
were not meant to carry
any cross
heavier than the short-lived mortal coil
we wear

in dreams
I feel, flying
untethered, like an air sign
my love, but I wake
and burn
consume everything in my path