One Last Step

by Romain P. A. Delpeuch (September 2023)

Casbah Gate, Henri Matisse, 1912

Or find the door, the way
to the pure land, to the
kingdom of quenched desires.
Enigma for the seekers,
genii fallen, risen.
–
Skin all reality.
Stop and consider voids,
plethora dancing, all
clad in their outward fullness.
See through their movements, hectic
appeal to your attention.
Sleep and wake, sleep and wake…
Cycle of misremembrance.
–
You don’t seem even puzzled,
prolific saint. I envy you.
Oh, never mind. Forget it.
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Romain P. A. Delpeuch is the author of Hypnagogia (Terror House Press, 2023). His poetry and short fiction appear in New English Review, Terror House Magazine, Apocalypse Confidential, Ekstasis, D.F.L. Lit, JOURN-E (vol. 1, no. 2), Atop The Cliffs and The Decadent Review.

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