Arcanist Probation

leery they are of exalted labels, honorifics

the label divides, limits

for they who are broken have a choice

live or die; get up or stay down; grow or shrivel

 

those who heed the call

who heed their dreams

who heed the signs

who heed the writing on the wall

 

step forward and take command of yourself

step forward and live up to your potential

step forward and show your strength

 

exclusive, by invitation only

will you accept, not knowing what’s on the other side of the gate?

not knowing what you’ll find when you look inside yourself?

not knowing what they will find when they see you?

not knowing how limitless you can be?

 

invitations scattered across the cosmos

clues, twinges, glitches, ordinary only to the unordinary, the contrary

signs both subtle and gross

only those with eyes will see

only those with fingers will touch

only those of mind will know

 

a character recognition, both symbolic and personal

the symbol who is the person

the person who is the symbol

pointing to a container of utmost divinity

 

here, all are related through a knowledge considered profane

merely esoteric, merely nameless

one from ten and two from a hundred

not understanding that which is only hinted at

things naturally fall into place, clicking, the honing of tools:

seeing, dreaming, feeling, knowing

 

system of checks and balances

invention balanced by discovery

creation balanced by reason

creation checked by the consensus

escape checked by conviction

lifting checked by gravity

imagination checked by the brutal truth

 

they are the children

they are the fathers and mothers

they are the tricksters and the teachers

they are wise old hermits and the mad fools living under a bridge

they are warriors and they are cowards

they are everyman

they shout the unintelligible from the rooftops

they howl at the moon and they check its astronomical measurements

yearning for when it casts shadows of trees in the ubiquitous forest

 

the world’s shadow is where you will find them

their acknowledgement can direct thy path

producing a watershed moment

they are tangible

they are here and now

they hide in plain sight

they do out of necessity

they do out of whim

 

out of discord among them, diversities grew

motives from the selfish to the selfless

their connection bled

only with clarity seeing them as one

frivolousness of purpose degenerates things to their atomic form

once whole, now estranged, split

they divided themselves, they conquered themselves

lost and scattered they are

hidden as gems in the sand; hidden from each other

isolated

hiding from themselves, lying to themselves

a defense against the great fear of unleashing themselves without inhibition

without regret

 

from one there are two from two there are ten

from ten there are hundreds

the two reflect each other

an infinite sequence of nested mirrors polishing each other, preparing

the ten are neophyte to Zelator

to lord of the portal to Adeptus Exemptus to Ipsissimus.

the hundreds are one

the one is hundreds

 

a multitude forming their own consensus to unleash creation

those of arcane force gather

the ocean becomes the drops the drops become the ocean

immortal rites opening the gates

rising through the spheres.

Brian Tenneson lives in small-town USA where he spends his time practicing word smithing, researching math problems, and playing music.