“At Five” – 3 February 2014
Just a short post this time. I’m sitting in a booth at the restaurant where I work, and I just remembered that I had a sonnet on me that many of you haven’t had the privilege to read yet. It’s called “At Five,” and I wrote it a couple years ago. The original title was “Carnival Robot” but it just didn’t fit the sonnet, hence the title change. I’ll use that title for something else, though.
I remember when we were five, when the
World was still fresh, still new. Life was timeless
Then—when we were five. We were bonded, free
To discover and explore the mind this
Life was meant to nourish. Yeah, I know—what
Five-year-old knows what secrets the cosmos
Holds? We did. The sky itself was ours, cut
Into a map of our own design. Toss those
Stars on the fire, so they might know all-
Consuming, pure true love! Our moon, mistress
Of that which was (and would be), stood so tall,
Dragging our dreams up with her. And that kiss,
Our first (at five) would sustain us—But we
Were five, and now, fully explored, aren’t free.