The Project.

 

First:

Woke up to darkness

from a restless sleep.

A dream of colour,

light and steady beat.

Alone with my thoughts,

drifting on the void

until the idea

was fully employed.

 

Second:

Still dark, much later,

getting what I need.

Some paint, certainly,

plaster, wood and seed.

Starlight and fire,

ice and molten rocks.

Things I’ve been storing

in a little box.

 

Third:

Mix up that with that.

Bang- at last some light.

Splatter some of this –

white pinpricks on night.

Build layers of matter,

roll them into balls

and send them spinning

off in gassy squalls.

 

Fourth:

Self doubt sidles in.

Chaos now abounds.

Things refuse to set

and flip-flop around,

while others bubble

like simmering soup.

Atoms blow apart.

Electrons group.

 

Fifth:

I juggle with gems,

Letting crystals fall

on black crushed velvet.

There are ten in all.

The red, the amber,

stones of unknown hue.

One, I choose to cut,

shimmers green and blue.

 

Sixth:

I carve each valley,

chisel every crag.

Sandpaper deserts,

stitch and sew each rag.

Rub, spit and polish

facets to a shine.

Among the spinning

orbits –  one is mine.

 

Seventh:

So very tired now –

time, at last to rest –

but just one detail

to create a test.

Into perfection

webs of dust are spun

that aeons hence will

question all I’ve done.