A Reckoning

Ludwig Hohlwein, Nachtigall vor Vollmond (1910)

"A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude"—Shelley

So much in love with easeful life,

Enough's a country free of strife,

But must be taken "warts and all."

Circumstances might pass for good—

We, doubtless of the five percent,

Want little but a friendly mood,

A sturdy bed and processed food.

I wonder where the others went

Who've now all vanished from the Earth?

Volatilized in Nature's berth!

The nightingale is the national bird

of Ukraine

Volatiliser

Disparaître soudainement, sans laisser de trace.—Dictionary of the French Academy. "Mes amis se sont volatilisées dans la nature."

Thursday, January 1, 2026

"Le secret confié se volatilise et disparaît dans le vent des années qui passent."—Charles Flor O'Squarr (1830–90), Les fantômes, étude cruelle.