Phaedo Incarnate

by Robert Cole

I have built kingdoms.
And I have torn these kingdoms apart.
Brim to shining brim. An orchestra of fire.

And out of the carbon, the alleged phoenix grows.
So the vital story goes. A life is forged
from the thing that destroys you.

The lava also refreshes what is devoured.
The pyroclastic flow returns the soil to its lipid origin:
Amino acids and sheer self-esteem. Action potentials.

An erotic graveyard teeming with faith.

Robert Cole is a twenty-three-year-old writer living in Norman, Oklahoma. He is not currently enrolled in college, and his work has not been featured in many renowned publications. He is, however, an acceptable individual.
Back to Issue Five: Fall 2009