His urge began in the mythic land of Florida,
where power surges from the steaming swamp.

The fountain of youth, of course, was rumored
to spray liquid sun from its antediluvian well,

to shoot into the veins of any who viewed the show.
This is where other questers had failed, of course:

to imbibe the fluid would turn a man into gold,
and gradual exposure would transform the skin

into the hue of gilded walls in the morning rays
of a penthouse tower overlooking the world.

Our hero knew that the secret to eternal life
was known only to women, and he grabbed

at chances to pull forth secrets from the mist,
watching when he could the golden showers

in every land he built his kingdom, Moscow
on a rainy evening, perched on a hotel throne,

musing on how the waterfall of humanity
gushed in his presence, history in the taking.

A longtime resident of Los Angeles, Martin Ott’s most recent book is “Spectrum” (C&R Press, 2016). He is the author of seven books and won the De Novo and Sandeen prizes for his first two poetry collections. His work has appeared in more than 200 magazines and a dozen anthologies.

Photo: “Golden Shower” by DangerZhang