Naught But Shiver And Shutter - Poem by Arnie Hicks

the shimmering echo of a ghost that never was
infinity has no form
drawn together in time only to be separated by space
the ashes of disillusionment cover all
tired remnants of an imagined guilt.

all we are lives and dies on a single breath
each inhalation the sweeping saga of a universe reborn
each exhalation a wiping clean the slate
the conscious mind shivers and shutters
like the smooth and gentle ripples given rise
in the careless casting of pebbles in a pond
here and gone in a pristine moment of quiet brevity.

the incessant kiss of reproach and lingering regret
tired pretext for continued assertion of self
remain but the unceremonious dispersal of some imagined ignis fatuus
hollow legacy to dreams that never were and tomorrows that can not be.