by Rick Hartwell

Monsieur Charles Baudelaire,
French poet of Modernitė,
“Is not creation the fall of God?”

Accept this for consideration
that God could indeed fall,
whence does this bon mot lead?

Physically? Metaphorically?
Joining the Angel of Darkness?
Or no longer raised on high?

Flowers of Evil gives no clue,
only lauds man’s degradation
in fascinating poetic symbols.

In answer to Baudelaire’s query
my interpretation would be -
creation must be for all to see.

God never said, nolo creatio;
for without genesis, no creator,
and entirety requires existence.

I believe that I and you exist;
I regard the universe I behold;
such faith leads to the Creator.

Rick Hartwell is a retired middle school teacher living in Southern California with his wife of forty-seven years, Sally (upon whom he is emotionally, physically, and spiritually dependent), two grown children, a daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and sixteen cats. Like the Transcendentalists and William Blake, he believes that the instant contains eternity.