On the Cliff of the Moment

And then I knew,

Like a resigned nod

that prompts the stately closing

of massive doors upon some fictive scene.

And then I knew

that delusions of proximity

are like delusions of grandeur, only

twice as laughable and five times as distant.

And then I knew.

despite saying I was cool with all of it,

I could do without everything but hope,

and that was not on offer.

I understood the measure

you would take from me

and it was not enough.