After you’ve climbed the many many mountains

And crossed the crossings

And crisscrossed the valleys

Unearthed the skulls

And earned your cross of death

After you’ve crossed your breast for the required trillionth of time

And burnt the villages the ships the bridges

And crawling back with legs eyes fingers crossed

You finally emerge

You’ve lost your way

You’ve lost your guides and donkeys

You’ve lost your flair your memory and your mind

Still you emerge

Lo and behold!

You’ve reached the Promised Item

The old decrepit Keeper will demand the customary fee

The nose the eyes the ears (tips not included)

And unlock the gates

And there you are

Let us go back

We cannot stay here any longer

Inside the eyes

The ears of the Beholder

Here beauty sleeps

Curled up within herself and waiting

Let us withdraw

Withdraw

And see the statue

We only see the statue now

The eyes of stone

The ears where lizards nest

And hear the ancient rhythms

The chanting

The rites performed

Yet even this is now beheld

Beheld

Let us withdraw

Still further we withdraw

And see the skull

The skull of the Beholder

Unearthed and now staring back at us

Through empty holes

Where is the beauty now?!

Thus could exclaim some Hamlet or another

Soliloquizing to the plastic skull

The audience applauds

Row upon row of be-holders

Except the ‘be’

Except the ‘be-ing’ part

They hold oh how they hold

(a cold beheaded orphaned wordling)

They hold their lives

So dear very dear

They hold their wives

“So, dear, did you like the play?”

The hold their rallies

With a weak attempt at chanting

They hold their breath

And dole it out in cream-puffs

After I’ve climbed the many many mountains

And crossed the crossings

And crisscrossed the valleys

Unearthed the skulls

And earned my cross of death

After I’ve crossed my breast for the required trillionth of time

And burnt the villages the ships the bridges

And crawling back with legs eyes fingers crossed

I finally emerge

I’ve lost my wife

My money

All my moorings

My life

My name

My memory

And my mind

All those things I never had

But could have

And all for what

All for a stolen peek

A dubious inkling

Tail-end of a lizard

To play with at my whim

Enjoy now

Chew it slowly

Make it last

Who knows where you may find your next repast