Forgotten

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who had so long suffered to gaze on the face of Moneta,
forgot its old song
as an after-image
like sugar dissolving into coffee.

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who were steeped in swamps of dejection
forgot our old song,
our old song of vague hope, of prophecy
of the new song to come.

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who had been bound & born to outrageous fate
were freed to joy
to the promise of a daybreak
we had always awaited.

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who were now free in spirit,
we tasted the paradisiacal wines
which ran in brooks
in the forests at the twilight.

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who had begun to weary of our days by the garden
began to weary of our new pleasures
began to forget our gamboling
began to long for something else.

At last the new song arrived,
& we,
we who had longed for it for so long
forgot it,
returned to our old ways,
with less despair, with less hope, with the lingerings of the old days,
glimpsing the face
of Moneta.

Ramez Qureshi

If you've any comments on this poem, Ramez Qureshi would be pleased to hear from you.