Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future,

And time future contained in time past.

If all time is eternally present

All time is unredeemable.

What might have been is an abstraction

Remaining a perpetual possibility

Only in a world of speculation.

What might have been and what has been

Point to one end, which is always present.

Other echoes,

Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?

Quick, said the bird, find them, find them,

Round the corner.

Along the empty alley, into the box circle,

And the pool was filled with water out of sunlight,

And the lotos rose, quietly, quietly,

The surface glittered out of heart of light,

And they were behind us, reflected in the pool.

Then a cloud passed, and the pool was empty.

Footfalls echo in the memory

Down the passage which we did not take

Towards the door we never opened

Into the rose-garden. My words echo

Thus, in your mind.

But to what purpose

Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves

I do not know.

The unheard music hidden in the shrubbery,

And the unseen eyebeam crossed, for the roses

Had the look of flowers that are looked at.

Descend lower, descend only

Into the world of perpetual solitude,

World not world, but that which is not world,

Internal darkness, deprivation

And destitution of all property,

Time and the bell have buried the day,

The black cloud carries the sun away.

The crying shadow in the funeral dance,

The loud lament of the disconsolate chimera.

Go, said the bird, for the leaves were full of children,

Hidden excitedly, containing laughter.

Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind

Cannot bear very much reality.

Time past and time future

What might have been and what has been

Point to one end, which is always present.

Image Description:

The First Fate appears. He is a black man, is shirtless and is seen sitting in a bathtub with white tiled walls. He is surrounded by long stemmed orange roses hung on the tile walls. Some are hung with the stem facing downwards and some are hung with the stem facing upwards. On the three closest roses, black and white disembodied eyes are projected. These eyes are not in sync, open and close sporadically, all while taking turns gazing in various directions.

The first fate takes a drink from a blue glass. He looks at the camera playfully.

A small bouquet of orange roses appear and rise towards his chest. He looks down at the flowers longingly – as if remembering the past. He looks back towards the camera, and lowers the flowers out of camera view.

He slowly raises his arms as classical music is heard playing in the distance. A blue multi colored scarf with birds is brought into camera view. It is melodically shifted through the First Fate's hands - as if it is dancing along to the music. He looks back down at the scarf – and smiles.

His gaze returns back towards the camera.

He takes another drink from the deep blue glass.

The flower bouquet appears back in his hand and is raised towards his nose. He smells the flowers while closing his eyes. The flowers are then brought down to rest upon his chest.

The First Fate then leans back and rests his head along the white tiled wall.