Gog
I woke to a shout: 'I am Alpha and Omega!' Rocks and a few trees trembled Deep in their own country I ran and an absence bounded beside me The dog's god is a scrap dropped from the table The mouse's savior is a ripe wheat grain— Hearing the messiah cry My mouth widens in adoration How far are the mosses! They cushion themselves on the silence The dust, too, is replete The air wants for nothing What was my error? My skull has sealed it out My great bones are massed in me They beat on the earth, my song excites them I do not look at the rocks and trees, I am frightened of what they see I listen to the song jarring my mouth Where the skull-rooted teeth are in possession I am massive on earth. My feetbones beat on the earth Over the sound of motherly weeping.... Afterwards, I drink at a pool quietly The horizons bear the rocks and trees away into twilight I lie down, I become darkness— Darkness that all night sings and circles stamping
Gog - meaning Summary
Apocalypse Within the Self
The poem presents a speaker who hears an apocalyptic proclamation and comes to feel himself as a huge, fearful force moving through the landscape. Ordinary creatures find divinity in food, while moss, dust, and air seem complete without him. His bodily song and stamping disturb that calm. By nightfall, he merges with darkness, suggesting a violent presence that cannot escape its own isolation.
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