Is to do something
You’ve never seen anyone else do,
Carry a handkerchief
Through the breeze of the world
And never let anyone dirty it,
To keep it white as the moon
When the sun has fallen.
Keep it away from the slime
That lines men’s mouths,
Or the wax that circles inside their ears,
The crusts that shut their eyes,
Debris left behind from their dreams,
And though it may be tempting,
Do not collect any of their blood.
Hold it away from yourself,
Or else it will truly become
A flag of surrender, away
From your own blood,
Away from your sweat,
Even though it might seem clean
Enough to wash the cloth,
Do not let it absorb
The refuse of your passions.
Heaven has no key,
No flag to wave because
It has no army to bear it,
Present your handkerchief at the door,
And turn the knob with it,
Just in case it is too hard
To grasp or it is too hot,
From a flame that burns
Behind the portal and is not seen.
Ben Nardolilli is a twenty-five-year-old writer currently living in Arlington, Virginia. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, One Ghana One Voice, Caper Literary Journal, Quail Bell Magazine, elimae, Super Arrow, Grey Sparrow Journal, A Hudson View, The Toucan, Contemporary American Voices, Eudaimonia Poetry Review, Rabbit Catastrophe Review, Gloom Cupboard, and Beltway Poetry Quarterly. In addition he maintains a blog at htt://mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is looking to publish his first novel.
