The following pieces “One” and “Two” are two parts of the same story. “One” is written from the point of view of a man drowning and his last thoughts and actions before he dies. Writing this poem I tried to embody the natural resilience of humans as the narrator tries to save himself. The word “one” at the end of the piece has many meanings: one with the universe, one in reference to this being the first chapter in the narrator’s life story. but most importantly, “one” as in transcending the limits of this human body. “Two” is written from the point of view of the same man but, after being the biblical interpretation of heaven for hundreds of thousands of years. This piece approaches the idea of perfection as an undesirable lifestyle because without imperfection there would be no point to living. Both of these pieces were inspired by the relationship between Frenzy and the Bacchae, similarly to Percival Everett, I wanted to take a story that most people would know and contort it to show a more realistic representation of what humans think perfection is. Feel feel to comment, I’m always open to suggestions!
– One.
Mouth clamped shut.
Hands grasping desperately for anything solid.
Feet furiously paddling to no avail
In a last ditch effort,
Through pure unadulterated human resilience
LIVE
Clutching
Grasping
Reaching for the dimming light with every fibre in my body
I miss.
The sun’s sparkle under the water began to wane
Eyelids felt as heavy as the sky
Slowly
Deliberately
Closing
Suddenly, the sun exploded into a supernova
Warming every atom of existence
Beckoning me to join, pulling the weights off of my eyelids
When they opened, the sun had been replaced with the purest essence imaginable
Completely indescribable…..transcending color and beauty itself
come.
Reaching out my hand I became
ONE.