Basement

acting, of course
always a version
only it doesn't finally pull the time
inside out, like everything else in here
in a dream i went
down and down continued
as many times as I could think the word without forgetting
where i went and was
always only after
i had swung the last cage slat into a stair
when the bottom came
there was sunlight, understood
and extended family
the indoors of a childhood
but the faces, every
had been pulled inside
even new babies
every one so proud of the resemblance
and then i remembered
sunlight too late
the slats were for a cage again
i had to look into their pits
and call them faces
i had to look at the basement light
and call it understood

apr 16, 2011