Back to the Womb

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(1965)

MY JOURNEY

INTO TIME

BACKWARD THROUGH MY MIND

TOOK ME TO

FORESTS OF CLOUDS

WHICH BECAME DARK

AND RAINED

ON THE WEEDS THAT

INDOLENTLY SWAYED

IN THE LUXURIANT GREEN BREEZE

AND AS IT BECAME DUSK

I HEARD MY MOTHER

CALLING OUT FOR ME

FROM AFAR

BEFORE I COULD HURL

THE LAST PEBBLE IN THE POND

AND FRIGHTENING A FROG AWAY

UNKNOWINGLY MADE RIPPLES OF MUSIC

I DID NOT WAIT TO COMPREHEND

THE COMPLICATED MAZE

CLEARS INTO THE TRANSPARENT INNOCENCE OF

MY CHILDHOOD

AND AS I THINK

OF ALL THE WISDOM

OF DISILLUSIONS ACQUIRED

I RECOGNISE THE UNSULLIED PAST

OF LANGUID TIME

BEFORE I TRAVELLED INTO

THE FUTURE OF DEHUMANISED PRESENT

AND I CLOSE MY WEARY EYES

TO RUN BACK AGAIN INTO

THE ONE TIME OF MY DISSOLUTE DAYS

WHICH I CAN RELIVE WITHOUT REMORSE:

THROUGH THE DENSE TREES

AND MARSHY CLEARINGS

AND SHRILL CRIES OF EXCITEMENT

OF PLAYFUL MISCHIEF

AND ENDLESS CAPACITY

TO MARVEL AND WONDER

AT EVERY SMALL SEARCH

AND DISCOVERY

THEN I HEAR MYSELF

CALLING OUT FOR ME

IN HELPLESS WISH

IF NOT TO BE ABLE TO

RETRIEVE MY LOSS

TO RETAIN AT LEAST

THE DESIRE AND ABILITY

TO LIVE WHILE I LAST

WITH NOSTALGIA