Birth of a Mystic

(photograph by Roger Ballen, from his book "Shadow Chamber")

Birth of a Mystic:
Yes, so slow and eventual,
by the grace of humility,
our rationalist
came to the flip-sided conclusion
that any knowing of truth is impossible,
and seeing as such,
he instead promised to
deferentially fix his gaze upon the all,
both the stillness and the action,
whether state or statue,
only asking in return that
by some accident, by some purposive means,
he might be doubly blessed with functional senses
and bombarded by sensations:
surrounded by mountains,
high high the back of his neck;
spinning,
water and sun upon him;
scraping deeply;
making him dizzy,
cracking his brainstem,
tasting pennies,
smelling balsamic;
flying his cock;
face holding hard to her skin,
enthused nudity,
firmly pressed,
at once connected,
unable to focus in her nearness,
deepening his voice;
with every omission,
indulgence, intricacy, falling hot inside his guts;
stepping on his toes;
the provocation of laughter,
all of it masquerading as information.
"Perceived like love-- likewise, conceived as love and possibly love",
he might come to explain it,
rendering him an honest participant,
as fast symbol, momentarily,
a recognizable trace of humanity
uniquely poured
as particular flesh