12 Adar 5745 / 5 March 1985 A.D. / 13 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1405 A.H.

[hear_the_voices]

In the beginning --

(or is it the end?
the end of the beginning, the beginning of the end?
all of it. and none of it.
no matter, then)

-- is the word.

And the word, in this case, is



NO.



(there but for the grace of God--)
(I saw the angel in the marble . . .)
(--go I)
(. . . and carved until I set him free)


And it hurts.
That single word.
Like cutting your kidneys out with a butter knife.

That kind of hurt.


(given the choice . . .)
After that, comes the fall.
( . . . between the experience of pain . . .)
Immeasurably far, immeasurably long.
Endless, in an instant.
(. . . and nothing . . .)
Fast and hot and bright as lightning.
(. . . I would choose pain)






. . . and then . . .




In the end --
(there was a star danced . . .)
-- no, wait.
(. . . and under that . . .)
This is not the end.
( . . . was I born)


In the beginning . . .