LITERARY
by Jhon Sanchez
For Lewis Warsh
One thousand years later, he was free.
He had been locked up inside the farthest dungeon.
When he was there he learned how to write and read
On his hands only a single bible page helped him to understand the word Revelations
He repeated the symbols until he foretold their pronunciations
He wrote about darkness, rats and pain.
pain was not suffering
until the first light blinked in his eyes.
But now, he was free there
This new world landscaped writings everywhere.
When he saw the letters he wondered about these symbol rainfalls
capital letters, printed letters, handmade letters, big letters and small letters.
Letters decorated every place, but he could not understand anything better.
He looked at his bible page and he remembered the learned symbols on dungeon walls
“This is the same language but different,” he said.
Profanity? he asked.
Suddenly, he wanted to return to his confinement and misunderstand his reality;
he wanted his darkness, he wanted to reread each wall already memorized in the old days
Despite his desires, he persisted on following his new letter ways.
foretelling the pronunciation of thousands of words
but a terrible fear.
“What will happen in a thousand years?
If I am released again?
If this is another prison or religion, then?”
“By the time I have written on every space of this world;
I will have read and learned everything to know
and everything will be wrong.”
He sighed and thought,
“but at least I need one thousand years more
before I find another door.”
So he smiled and under his new letters made his home
About the poet:
Jhon Sánchez is a Colombian-born lawyer and writer. ‘United Tombs of America,’ his latest short story, is available in the winter issue of Midway Journal.
