REPETITIONS, SECOND SERIES

Present Things

“Descend” they said to him, “don’t be afraid; the

ascend is glorious; the future will be clearly visible

to you” He hesitated. Yet he prepared himself at

the chapel of Good Luck; he passed the chair of

Forgetfulness and Mnemosyne; he offered his

sacrifice on the tomb of Agamedes; he bathed in

Erkyna, guided by two charming twelve year old

boys; he applied oil and moved on. At the last moment,

in front of the black mouth of the oracle, the holy,

the sealed by the bronze railing, he stopped; “no,

        no” he yelled;

“no, no”. He pulled away in fear. Perhaps he

recalled the unfortunate satellite, Demetrius who

never returned. Of course, they said that Apollonius

pulled up two steel plaques from in there. Yet, what

would he do with the Pythagorean words, the past and

the future? The present things were better even if

they were a few and insignificant; better than

the unknown. And suddenly he felt all the brilliance

of the moment. He cut a laurel leaf, he bit it, and run

       away

while the advice of the priests echoed behind him.