Proverbs of Purgatory

Proverbs of Purgatory

E.R. Skulmoski

After William Blake

I.

Wisdom is a tree of life to those who find her
like a robin finding the juice of a worm
spilled out on the mourning grass
— seek & ye shall find her!
Bite into her & ye shall find life in color.
The greens greener, the lines sharper
& ye shall find every shade of grey in the clouds.
& heaven will be close enough to walk to.

II.

The Sluggard says I shall be slain
& the cliff of my thumb shall be shaved.
The Sluggard slurps berries from a stranger’s cup
& his voice is that of a kicked over can.
The Sluggard’s head balloons to the clouds
& he needles his words into an invisible shroud.

III.

Answer the fool according to his folly
& feed peanut butter & jelly back into his ears
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Do not answer the fool according to his folly
lest he thinks he is all that floating like balloons
in the air only to look down on you,
now as small as a marble.
The fool will rip the raspberries out of your teeth
then offer his tall glass like some wise man
half full to make you look empty.

---

E.R. Skulmoski
Poet 

Emily is a poet who lives in the Interior of British Columbia with her husband and four children. She homeschools her children and writes poetry and short stories in her spare time. You can follow her on Instagram and read more of her work at https://ofisandwas.substack.com/

Photography by Sefa Tekin