THE END, THE BEGINNING

If there were not an utter and absolute dark

of silence and sheer oblivion

at the core of everything,

how terrible the sun would be,

how ghastly it would be to strike a match, and make a light.

But the very sun himself is pivoted

upon a core of pure oblivion,

so is a candle, even as a match.

And if there were not an absolute, utter forgetting

and a ceasing to know, a perfect ceasing to know

and a silent, sheer cessation of all awareness

how terrible life would be!

how terrible it would be to think and know, to have consciousness!

But dipped, once dipped in dark oblivion

the soul has peace, inward and lovely peace.