even for you, my friend, they have a name

your boldness astounds me, my friend
are you so daring, or perhaps just careless
as to overturn these conventions
so reckless
as to seek oblivion for us all
at the risk of even losing
your own self?

perhaps, for you, time must stand still
and give account of itself in shame
perhaps even the river
should seek a new route
and new oceans
to purge
all its plunderings and possessions

I see a camel, my friend
led by a being from the future
it is strange and fearsome
the look in its eyes betrays a wilderness
at once barren and beautiful
yet also terrifying

your burden is heavy
the horizon is distant
and inhospitable

but stop, my friend
and listen carefully
to the voices
and the perpetual chatter
for even unto you
they have a name
even unto you
a time and a place
made and unmade
in their own image
as if a phantom
composed not of flesh and blood
but of mere words
in an all too familiar language