The Island of Escalators

Martin Ott

Is the land where no one looks
    down. There are motors within
motors, an engraving of jumping

beans on the bottom or so legend
    rolls. Who can remember the days
before endless lift, serrated steps,

the apostles of past eras fueling
    an epoch? Those who no longer
fear the crack monster catalog

their blasphemies as punishment,
    dreams of falling cobbled in air,
songs passed upward, hymn spiral.

This freedom is centipedal, progress
    for the sake of it, this balancing
act of heaven, the fear of making it. 

Martin Ott is the author of six books of poetry and fiction, including the poetry book Underdays, Sandeen Prize winner, University of Notre Dame Press and the short story collection Interrogations, Fomite Press. More at www.martinottwriter.com