The Veil Exists Poem by Juan Olivarez

There is a veil
You can see it
You can feel it
You can smell it
But you can't touch it.

Has the hair
On the back of your neck
ever stood on end
For no apparent reason?
Come on now
Admit it.

Has a loved ones
Perfume
Ever awakened you
In the middle of a good
Nights sleep?

Has the skin on your
Forearms and the hairs
On the back of your hand,
Gone all wild and goose pimply
For no good reason?

A wise man once said
Do we see
The hundred thousandth part
Of what exists?

There is a veil
We all know it exists
But our minds have been conditioned
From early infancy
To believe otherwise.

There is a veil
And sometimes
You can actually see it
Out of the corner of an eye,
Or when a light suddenly shines.

In heat waves
As they shimmer and rise
In a pool
In the shimmering of the water
A shadow
Within, a shadow.

Movement in the leaves
When there is no wind
In the swirling sands
Figures can be seen
And they see you.

There is a veil
There is no doubt
Someone or something
Will touch you
Ever so lightly
On your neck, on your arm, on your cheek.

Reject not these caresses
For you know the instigator
The culprit,
the loved one
Reject them not
They are behind the veil

And someday
Maybe soon maybe not
Our destiny too
Is to reach out to someone
From Behind
The Veil

February 24th 2016
Twenty Nine Palms California