Beyond Beyond
Subatomic particles revolve beyond beyond—
boom! The universe is born, evolved beyond beyond.
Watch the nimble gods of rain tiptoe cloud to cloud
as lightning, thunder, hailstones, sleet resolve beyond beyond.
God in human flesh dies, crying out why has thou
forsaken me? Are all sins thus absolved beyond beyond?
Ever since Shams sent Rumi whirling into ecstasy
Rumi’s dervishes have circumvolved beyond beyond.
When lovers slip gold bands over their knuckles, who knows how long
their vows will last—must all bonds dissolve beyond beyond?
I have no catchy name, I only go by John. And yet,
when I do tai chi chuan, cloud hands revolve beyond beyond.
John Whitney Steele is a psychologist, yoga teacher, assistant editor of Think: A Journal of Poetry, Fiction and Essays, and graduate of the MFA Poetry Program at Western Colorado University. A Pushcart Prize nominee, his poems have been published widely. His chapbook, The Stones Keep Watch, and his full length collection of poetry, Shiva’s Dance, were published by Kelsay Books in 2021 and 2022.
Amethyst Review 