Tangled Souls

Oh! Vainglorious Artiste,
Who dwells amongst the stars and lines
Of artsy, abstract verse,
Whose contemplations and compound words
Draw upon one, one whose role remains
To look, to see, to ruminate
Upon his abstract thinkings.
Her pale, crystal face etched between
Wars of words and long lost legends.

Oh! Illustrious Nymphet of verse and prose,
Whose complex ramblings defy understanding,
As much as lengthy verbs and abstract nouns
Amidst portraits of forgotten gods and heroes.
Whose magnificent metaphorical messages,
Full of joy and sorrow, loss and gain,
Portray a life complex and deep,
Of us, a group, defying both reality and reason,
Independent amongst the crowd and bustle of adolescent life.

Oh! Incomprehensible Soulmate,
Who amidst the clutter of misplaced verbs,
Finds deeper, more abstract meaning,
Reading between lines, filled with Coke,
Cappuccino stains and brownie crumbs,
The raw materials of thought and rhyme,
A cocoon of coffee-house delights
Hides, holds safe, emotion and feeling
Amidst long months of soul decay.

Oh! Anti-Thesis, Oh! True Friend,
Civilities lost and found
Amidst the overloaded forum
That harbours dreams and inspirations,
Alongside tears and broken hearts.
Complexities of minds, of souls,
Clash amidst a sea of words.
Sterile halls of academia
Play host to long forgotten debates.

Oh! To see, to look, to look, to see
Through the eyes of the atheist,
And espy her world so different
Yet so much alike to
The one in which he dwells.
Two souls tangled amidst
The written word and homelike clutter
Of poetry, literature and Katherine Hepburn.
They clash, make amends then clash once more.

Oh! Vainglorious Artiste,
Oh! Illustrious Nymphet,
Lost beneath innumerable sheets
Of shaky writing, primary draft,
Carefully plotted fiction and poetry.
Lost within that world so dear,
Paper bridges, inkwell lakes
Carefully laid upon white page,
Solid comforts, oft-times shared.

Oh! Vainglorious Artiste,
Oh! Illustrious Nymphet,
Who shalt see the like again?

Keith O’Sullivan

6-12-04