not in a bell jar

it’s all out of reach now:
the sound of the waves
salt water on my skin
coral on the seabed
life on the ocean floor

I’ll create my own joy
keep myself unslaved
I’ll unchain myself
from your audacity to believe
that I’m caught in a bell jar

here I’ll breathe and think
myself calm as a cow
engineer blissful thoughts
train my mind’s eye
to push away the boundaries

to beyond the shadows
on the horizon and yonder
where the sky is my happiness
sun and clouds unslave me
from a chattering mind

there I find all I desire:
the sound of the waves
salt water on my skin
coral on the seabed
life on the ocean floor