The Vanishing Point (1st Chapter) Poem by Ian Kellett

We lived our lives
Beneath a sky
Of vaulted emerald,

Produced by weaves
Of ageless leaves
That had excelled themselves.

By morning swoon
And afternoon
Viridity was taught,

And when retired
And closed of eyes
The green engulfed our thoughts.







For in this land
The trees demanded
Vision from below,

As over time
And its design
We’d lost the need to grow;

A history held
Unto itself,
And leveled off a while,

Until refined
And underlined,
And settled in profile.

Where every trunk
And offshoot hung
Appeared oversized,

And spread across
Old Helios,
And sheltered our eyes.







Whose pounding fist
And frantic kiss
Of life were kept at bay,

With thunder crash,
And lightning flash,
And all their disarray.

Though day did bright
To partner night,
And wind and water filter,

And ample fare
Grew everywhere,
And herds were in good kilter.

But this stockade
Had for us made
An idle co-existence,

As business lost
Conveyed no cost,
Because of our systems.







For our toils
And few turmoils
Had been replaced by waivers,

Allowing us
To barter much,
And compensate with favours.

And trade was good
For those who could,
And even those who couldn’t,

While some were fey
And got away
With things they really shouldn’t:

Deep in the dell,
And hidden well,
Their pitch had often flourished,

And seldom failed,
Or met a trail
Of folk who were malnourished.







For it was said
In chattered words
That they communed with giants,

From far beyond
The furthest frond
Where sunlight reigned defiant.

And elements
Embraced events,
And swept away the surface,

Condemning peace
To a surcease
Because it had no purchase.

But where this was
And why it chose
No part in our recital,

Was not discussed
By people much
Unless they meant to frighten.







For such, these tales,
Are spectral veiled,
And mostly ill conceived,

And make you glad
They never had
The facts to be believed.

So heed ye all,
Indeed recall,
These themes when out exploring,

Don’t dally long
When you’re among
The canopy’s outpouring.