~ Otto Dix Plate 22 ~
Each night I meet myself in nightmares
I am my own enemy fighting in No-man’s land
I am material and real, yet I barely exist
in my imagination.
There is nothing whole and complete
nothing has retained its shape or structure
everything is splintered into surfaces
in my imagination.
There can be only shreds and shards
only textures, hard lines and spaces
where white light can dance free
in my imagination.
Each night I crawl through ruined houses
along dark passages that close me in
dropping to bottomless depths of myself
in my imagination
There are only axons and dendrites in my mind
electric sparking, all atoms in a crystal night
a grasping hand, a gaping eye disconnected
in my imagination.
Each night I try to find myself in nightmares
I am my own enemy fighting in No-man’s land
I am dark energy and matter, yet I barely exist
in my imagination.
© M.L.Emmett
This is a response to Plate 22 Etching by Otto Dix, who fought in WWI and was haunted by his service. He was despised by the Nazis.
