[url=http://1190.bicyclesonthemoon.info/aftertime/viewer?story=advent&f=5][img]http://1190.bicyclesonthemoon.info/aftertime/advent/advent-05.png[/img][/url]
[center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[b]Less, much less
by Moniza Alvi[/b]
He hardly spoke any words
only two —
or you could call it one
the last thing
he said
was bye-bye
flight-feathers
veined and hairlike
with interlocking barbules
of sound
the bye-bye trapped
a breath of air
the two linked words
drifted out
on a calm lake
that lay there
with a single purpose —
to receive final words
and allow them
to drift on its surface
out and further out
on the lake of thought
and composure
encircled by mountains
the simple phrase
soared upwards
to the highest peak
where it would be planted
like a flag
would eventually be enshrined
each identical word carefully
balanced either side
of the invisible join —
like baby talk
he put equal emphasis
on each word
his face was pinched
and his bird beak
very prominent
there have never been
two joined words
with so much space around them
pack up all my cares and woes
light the light
I’ll arrive late tonight
blackbird bye bye
bye[/center]
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