The Mechanics of Perception
I stood on the edge of a lightning bolt,
And saw the smell of fresh cut grass,
I touched a pig upon its back,
And there behind me,
I heard a raindrop glisten.
I saw a bolt of thunder strike,
And caught the smell of new mown hay,
Ran round the sound of crystalline quartz,
While there within me,
I heard a raindrop glisten.
O! Perception!
Why confoundest thou me,
With such vile thought,
And rabid deception!
My eyes I use for seeing,
I use my ears to hear,
My lips I use to tell you -
My love, how much I love you!
My hands I use to feel,
The contours of the world,
To see its similarities,
Are so completely different!
I grope around the ruins,
Of my wreckéd life,
Searching for the answers,
Or, perhaps, the questions?
O! Perception!
Why confoundest thou me,
With such vile thought,
And rabid deception!
I touched of the taste of a catapult's breath,
And heard a moonbeam shine,
The aroma of sunlight, dull as death,
And there beside me,
I heard a raindrop glisten.v
I heard a chessboard's monochrome glow,
And felt a poodle whine,
I slipped a song behind me,
While all around me,
I heard a raindrop glisten.
©
1992 Colin Johnson