Mutation

© Matthew Word Bain

the disappearance of these tracks
into a zone of overexposure
evokes a constellation
of associations

Tarkovsky’s Zona
the construct of The Matrix
white light as the sum of all color
the diaphainon, “that which shines through,”
from Gebser’s Ever-Present Origin
the haze of oblivion

how is it that one image
could represent
so many –
and so disparate –
expressions of what is?

and yet, is this so different
from the world itself?

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All Aboard

© Matthew Word Bain

light and dark frame passage
a portal to a place between worlds
broken glass and spray painted figures…
the real guardians at the gate are not visible
one might well glean that any real access
to the railroad that fades into infinity
requires a certain proof of mettle
though it may be less clear
how that requirement
might be satisfied…
step inside?

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Heart Break Open

© Matthew Word Bain

a backdrop of branches
made soft by distance
a nest for a seedpod
freshly split open
soon to reveal
fluffy seeds
beckoned
by the wind
and conditions
ripe for traveling
far from this place
while they still can
before they settle in
and put down roots
never to fly again
until the cycle
continues
again

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Slippin’ Away

© Matthew Word Bain

an illegible palimpsest
of former identities
above a random
patchwork of
former windows
embedded in a wall
that seems to be prone
to losing mortar over time
given the splotchy repointing
and areas now needing the same

ain’t it funny how time gets stuck
lodged in the inconsistencies
expressed on the surface
of an old brick wall
visible remnants
undeniable
evidence
of how
time
. . .
flows
despite
the sticky
surfaces that
catch at it while
it passes unchecked
like the wind, perhaps
it is not so much time that
lodges in these crevices but
its effect – like the wind it can’t
be seen, only its effect on what it
passes by, and like the wind can
only be felt as that passing by
takes place, as time travels
on its unrestricted way

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