A Mountain Defeats a Crater

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

The darkness of a smear of love across

The top of forest ridge, a ribbon at

The edge that falls away predicts a loss.

A prophecy, if false or true, if flat

Or high as Mons Olympus, carries weight.

The difficulties, though, are that we can’t

Predict which seer rises up from hate

And which romance has driven.  Hatred’s cant

Is camouflaged, more curse-like in the trees.

The sun on heights above is clearer, though,

Because it shines on loving men.  The sleaze

Of loathing is a glacier’s flow.

  Hate hopes that it will crush the loving two,

    But love is more volcanic in its spew.