The Beast

by Steven R. Weiner

The single throat in the painted wood car
Screamed for adventure
Defying gravity’s intense external response
Rejoicing in the divine internal sense
Of weightlessly falling
Climbing to the edge of fear
             Falling
From the highest wooden towers
                          Falling
Flying
Through the sediment layers of air
In a capsized boat
                                        Failing
Through the gritty liquid of air
From heaven to hell
And like Orpheus, rising
                                                     Then falling
Holding the bar like a harp
Or an oar
Like a wave in a Japanese anime print
                                     Rising                    and falling
From frightened
To death
             Again falling
Forward rising on circles and dizzying loops
Feeling wickedly good
                                      To fall

Screaming for   more     more
The bottom drops out of the one
                                                    We’re
                                                          Going
                                                                  To die
Voice
And the prophecy was true, falling
Through a river of stick
Down to the line waiting

                          For you
                                      To do it again
                          Failing
                                      From birds to the fish
                          Crawling
                                      On earth at the end
                          When you try to stand up again
                                      You fall.