Familiar Silhouettes at Dusk

Pick a symbol, any symbol.
A well-known one might be better,
As would be one that’s so simple
You could trace it with your eyes closed,

Know it without being sighted,
But not so abstract and ancient
That it has no stable cluster
Of instant associations—

Not a spiral, in other words,
And not the outline of a hand.

Alright, you’re right. Too many rules.
Clearly you’re being nudged toward
A specific kind of symbol,
Such as a cross or Hakenkreuz,

A symbol of an atom or
A double helix, one that seems
A fixed, functional kind of sign.
But now ask after the meanings.

You’ll find there are many for each,
And arguments for each of them.

A symbol doesn’t symbolize.
Symbols have no such agency.
Someone says what a symbol means.
Few or many agree with them,

And people pass on the meanings,
And people decide to change them,
Or don’t decide, only mutate.
Pay attention. Pay attention.

Power lines don’t own their own birds,
However alike each evening.