William Seaton's touch of Borges: "Perhaps I am a video game"

 

Perhaps I am a video game

and someone is playing me,

with a small lever

moving me deftly right and left.

“Perhaps,” I said to Patricia

“we are competitors,

well, not us, but our operators.”

Suddenly I felt I had lost

forty points and still the game

rolled inexorably on.

It would not be so bad, perhaps,

if I knew some being somewhere

was doing it all:

trying to avoid disease monsters

and self-flagellation

and ugly ego pits

and seeking on the other hand

to accumulate wisdom

and money and the taste

of fresh berries -- ah! --

and thrills and love-kisses

and the premium prize

a quiet lake in the mind.

 

 

From Planetary Motions by William Seaton

 

For more on the book: Planetary Motions: Seaton, William: 9798696999210: Amazon.com: Books

 

For more on William Seaton: William Seaton – GIANT STEPS PRESS

 

For more on his blog: Poetry on the Loose