Nietzsche by Robert L. Penick

Nietzsche was wrong
when he said the abyss
looks back into the seeker.

When one looks too long
into the abyss, one becomes
the abyss, is translated
into less a lacking
than a vacuum, an absence
of warmth, light, and pulse.

One becomes
every word unwritten,
a single great thought
uncomposed.

The poetry and prose of Robert L. Penick have appeared in well over 200 different literary journals, including The Hudson Review, North American Review, Plainsongs, and Oxford Magazine. The Art of Mercy: New and Selected Poems is now available from Hohm Press, and more of his work can be found at theartofmercy.net