Raymond Soulard, Jr. New Songs (for Kassandra) - The ...

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She looks at me all blue eyes so dark, lifting, hers, mine—
“Just write” she says
“Just write”
“Yes—begin there always—begin among your pens & pages—it’s how you do
everything else—by beginning there. Here.”
I nod.
“Let’s go,” she says. “We have to get along, Raymond.”
I nod.
A new dream. A bigger dream. No longer a dream at all—per se—
We leave Luna T’s Cafe—there is briefly a different door—opens into a desert—
I nod again—there’s the city—the only one on the planet that matters—
but as important as it is, it merely points to what’s greater—
“You are the most beautiful creature in the universe”
“You are, too”
“You are my muse, true love”
“You are mine”
Rebecca & I face each other—the night is cool calm full moon—
“We make a stand by committing as we do, Reb”
“Yes”
“Love the strong & fragile”
She nods.
We sit facing each other, cross-legged-the city is bright & thumping in the distance—we
touch at the knees— begin to dream— eyes awake— enter each other— soak each other’s
souls— yes— & carry further along— somewhere, Rebecca, Raymond, neither me nor
you— yes— a voyage— yes, no, both, a voyage—
toward us the city’s energies flow— rhythms wavy & slow— a drop, a trickle, a wave—
pattern, then no-pattern—
dream— dance— Rebecca, Raymond, much more— Black Rock City— & beyond— before
between beyond—
a dance? call it that— call it something— growl, glow, call it new, old, dance? I don’t
know— wiggle with the mystery— enjoy— remember, forget, it doesn’t matter, does it? I
don’t know— keep trying, or don’t. Keep trying.
The waves continue & lick over us as we sit open-eyed dreaming beneath the full
moon & the sky’s royalty of stars—
Voices arrive, one, a few, many,
a few, hungry & laughing, undulating—
this universe a mist, a light, a shimmer
The Cenacle | 59 | October 2006