corridors on doors
doors on corridors

at each one a spout pouring
a thin stream of water
into a trough filled with petals

one eye
searched for the light
looking for the sky

men and women with no eyes passed him,
stopped, stood, waited respectfully for him to pass

they went in and out of rooms
and he heard their laughter
and their silence
long slow silences

he wondered
then he heard a noise
deep in the bowels of the rock
a hammer hitting an anvil

a woman with a scar in the middle of her forehead
then took him by the hand

led him to an entrance in the wall

they climbed a thousand stairs

one eye's strength had returned

she opened a door
light flooded in
green valleys stretched in five directions
towards mountains capped with white

in one corner an eagle with ruffled feathers
squawked at the sight of him

the woman turned and left

one eye felt the heat of the sun