The Fireman Drills For Oil

THE FIREMAN DRILLS FOR OIL


Not the thick viscous distillate
of dead dinosaurs
but the deep oil within,
what is left after all
that has died within him
has been crushed under
the weight of aging,
ground down to its
essential essence
in the alembic of the soul:
an alchemy of energy,
the body a crucible
for crushing blood from
the stone of ages.

In this metaphor depth is recognized
as signifying significance,
profundity, meaning.
Never mind that the metaphor
is long dead: in this poem
things long dead
still have energy
that must be unlocked
like the door to heaven:
no need to knock
when you have the key.


Richard Smyth

Posted over on Anabiosis Press