Sestina

So for some mysterious reason, I was struck last night at around midnight by the urge to attempt my first sestina. I think the idea for this was somehow influenced by Steve Coleman and the Council of Balance, whose new album, Genesis/The Opening of the Way, is an 8-section suite meant to evoke the story of creation. I finished this at around 3:30 a.m. Let me know what you think.

-Nate

Darkness at first, a photographic still
Life: "Floorboards of a Deserted Stage,"
Perhaps, or simply "Desperation." Light
Appeared out of the darkness. "Day" was formed
For working; "Night" would be a time for rest.
And there was evening and morning: the first day.

On the morning of the second day,
A wide expanse would separate the still
Waters, an expanse called "sky." (The rest
Was "ocean.") The expanse became a stage
On which the cumulus and cirrus formed
Circus acts, converging with the light.

(My last intention is to make light
Of these proceedings.) The third day
Would give rise to "land," miraculously formed
Out of nothingness. The land was still
Unpopulated, at an early stage
Of vegetable and sod. And still, no rest.

Instead, the "moon" and "sun" were born; the rest
Were "stars," or "gaseous orbs of heat and light,"
Barely flecks on a celestial stage,
And utterly invisible by day.
Despite their distance, ancient men would still
Devise a science from the shapes they formed.

By Thursday, whippoorwills and sharks were formed,
Along with egrets, trout, and all the rest.
And even then, there was something missing, still:
The reptile's scales, the peacock's feathers, light
Blue sparrow's eggs. Every day
A step closer to the edge of the stage.

His image was the final act. The stage
Was set for great and noble things. He formed
His arms, her lips, and every day
They'd marvel at each other, taking rest
In the Garden, shaded from the blinding light.
At times like this, everything was still.

And on the seventh day, the sea was still
Made of water, formless as the light
Of dawn. They staged a coup. You know the rest.