Dancing Bear

Ever the monster, dancing bear, tame
with a limp now, heel of a boot
finally crushed. What bear
could dance without shoes
the limp, without the heel
rejoins paw to field
so can't there be one day
not for dancing, Sunday,
can it be that day
one day for loping
away, and not only away,
please, that's still a chain,
but towards the world out of time
in more than two steps, all four
lope to sky, to roots,
tree line,
through brush, lope to
what is good,
to learn again
what is a bear

may 6, 12

No Time, Jericho

i did not have the constancy to
rub you thin
or the strength to fold you in my hands
or the adoration to pick at your glaze
so i tested your ceramic curve
between gravity and granite

i did not have the invisibility to
stake out your hiding place
or the practice to stalk you there
or the silence to hear what brought you there
i did not have the right

i did not have the tenacity to
march your perimeter methodically
or the breath to fill a trumpet's coil
or my other hand the strength, as said,
to smash a jar of fire on command
so i ran your walls of Jericho
gasping fall, fall, fall

apr 27, 12

Waking Dreams of Carrying Blood

Waking from dreams
everyone's wounds
were layered and beautiful
but bleeding
shining dark on pale
drained in the sun
dust rising to drink from these fountains
and i wasn't sure i could carry them all
back to the shade, damp, uphill, in turn
they each woke from their falls
talking nonsense
and making circles in their sentences
to convince me it was not a sign
when i begged them not to talk
as if their brains had come loose
they each sat up smiling, prophesying
only asking me,
where did I fall from,
how to climb back to the shade
or some, where to go on from now
not one needed carrying,
only, go behind me in case my blood
drips too much.


april 13, 12

Weather Report

the park today rather than breakfast
and sleep
for it is not really sleep
and tomorrow will rain
tomorrow a walk
for the next day will be sun again
and the shoes will dry

april 2012

Walking Calves, Train Car Calves

The girls on their walking calves
their train car balance
come here to make a life
but walk into this half light
through this haze and shine
checker their skin
it's theirs and a stranger's
gain their bodies for their minds
some coming kind
some going kind
of sight
on their walking calves
and latest train car balance
they ride.

jan 29, 12

Listening Thru a Glass, Darkly

My hearing has not been good lately
the kettle world turned up too long
i watch the reflection of my hand
in its streaked silver
i watch your reflection in the gathered condensation
when you tell me what you see
i make a noise that means, i'm listening
it's not a lie, but it is a dream.

jan23, 2012

Wind and Rain Letter

What have you done wind and rain?
What have you scattered into rivulets, into rivers
What have you sent through the clouds, blue as blood
What have you strummed and rung
What have you sung through to a cry
What have you flayed and staked
What have you turned out and smashed
and dragged, tooth and nail
What have you thrown, doors and windows
and bets and matches
What have you blown out?

mar 2012

Winter Pieta

Fastened and bound
in denim and wool
days on days in succession
almost procession
almost ceremony
mutual aggression
Ribs clenched against cold
and the earth's own body
packed tighter and tighter
against ours
We tensile march through one another
steadily toward denser degrees
limestone into marble
veined with crushed sediment
At last a winter Pieta
one as crucified as the other.

dec 2011

Dragon Guts

Track brindles our bodies
Physically they flicker
under
now not now
until
the shadow of a train belly blots them
What once was sound
swallows whole
flocks of thought
and walk and word
And down that throat
for the known now
stretched to a shout
we are dragon guts
dragon tongue
dragon song

april 2012

Any Other Word

i forget my name
comes the end of the page
and a pause, too long
love comma
a blank margin, generous
as a dry mouth
rough tongue
it slides around
gelatinous ink
waiting to be wrung
nothing rings
love comma
nothing
love comma
hole
love comma
margin
love comma
i hope you know.
if it were any other word
i could skip it.

mar 7, 12