Letting Them Go

So. I let go
the bad eye, the good hope,
the indifferent falso banner
of triumph and defeat —
let them off and left them sitting
by the tracks, waiting
to be lifted by another —

and I went on, singing
uncertainly at first
but more and more surely
as time passed;

although I did not know
the words at first
they came to me
first slowly then in a rush
so hard I stopped knowing
ahead of time anything
about what they meant
until after they tumbled
from my suddenly unfamiliar
tongue, lips, and mouth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
onward,
T