phoenix

Am I the phoenix or the fire 
I can’t decide 
It’s hard to tell the two apart perched on the pyre 

Am I the apple or the eye 
What you seek or what you find
Am I alive or am I that which doesn’t die 

The objects in the mirror 
Are closer than they appear 

Am I the man or the gaze
Am I the hand or the blade
Am I the tears or the rain or am I just too late 

Am I the blood or the taste
Am I the trickle or the ache
Am I vain because I contemplate 

These objects in the mirror  
Are closer than they appear 

These objects in the mirror  
Are closer than they appear 
And still it isn’t clear 
Who is really here 

The phoenix or the fire
The smoke or the sky 
The fog or the light or the ocean blowing by 

The secret or the smile
The echo or the cry 
The etchings or the lines 
The reflections or designs 
The obsession or the time 
The questions or the mind

Let It Breathe

Painting by Vincent Van Gogh

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