Face To Face

I came upon truth at the summit
Approached cautiously, because it has a way
Of hurting
Inflicting a pain one can never know if they are ready for
Or not.

There within the violet and saffron hues of a setting sun
Our palaver commenced;
I accepted some revelations with ease
While others caused anger to swell,
It is never easy to see one's reflection for the first time.

Truth laughed heartily,
Paused a moment,
Then withdrew a cigarette and lit it in the most deliberate fashion.
I likened it to a swell before the surge;
A destructive wave
Cast about from my tsunami of existence
Sent to wash over me
Drown me
Erode the very foundation of me
Till I am nothing but grains of moments
Hoping to coalesce on the shores of memory;
Someone's.
Anyone's.

Truth paused,
Inhaled
Held that thought and watched me
Waited on me to break
Then exhaled through a set of gritted teeth.
Was it frustration?
I could not decipher through the ribbons of smoke now caressing it's orifice.

Speaking,
That single word speared me,
Harpooned my core and bled me of everything I thought I knew;
Thought I wanted to know.
And reaching for the nearest projectile
I realized there was nothing to grab but my own consciousness
Now hollow and weightless.

Try as I may
That single word escapes me
Teases me in shadow
Just as truth meant it I'm sure,
Has me searching the libraries of my world awake
Longing.

Longing...
©2014clarencecbess