Those You Live Among
I have no camera
no game no tent, no word no mon-
strance no belt, no vent no succor,
no assuage no guilt, no music
*
The boarders they play games with you
those whose stomachs are full
of steaks they toy with you, the house
is full of toys
*
And each day, crime is easier, those
I live among, those I live among let me have my
speech, I can
not speak rocks in oil flounder
in oil and window pane almond al-
mond who is fragrant enough to live
among? Who is fair enough to be set beside?
*
My days are broken
and setting
and more truthful
*
The light despises me food
despises me the word despises me
I am no fate
I am no fate-in-his-robes
no styled light today I am bled
I see the rainbow’s metal blinds open
I am time, purple gold dripping out, sail-
fish fans fans fans monstrance monstrance
monstrance
I am no ointment here
I am no bruise-paste-of-day
Pack
What better bread?
What hearts are gone
and beaks knock stone?
What avenues unfold?
*
Straight to roses ward
and marked off in strips like a criminal;
straight to abandoned
with a roll of gauze filling the mouth
*
Here golden hearts sing
their wolves’ temperament;
here streets announce
bright Prussias of hazel eyes
and index toes
*
I soften at the mouth
as they refuse return return return,
full shore. The patterns are our pack.
The clouds dimple; their shadows see
*
The temperament is another, wolfish,
trailing a gold string. There
*
Are amities where we lock and
unlock and, meeting, part
Then from the Bronze World
Then from the bronze world
fountains and caves,
brown roses bent
to peaks of bone, beaks
*
Knock knock knock
on the glitter of fountains.
Should it be blood
if we are eating
*
Sweat, and honey cakes
blister what we arrest
of thought, sun’s
mess of red spaghetti?
*
Messes call down
crows which enter the blood
and draw their beaks
through bloody strands, we
*
Did not serpent,
did not suspect
we were being
nudged clean
Rouge Estates
Rest of peace. And rouge estates.
Rest of peace where wells blacken.
Rouge estates
dominos fall to table chatter.
At some streetlight, a fountain,
no names for us homes for us
here, no meals meals meals
no medicines for what we missed.
Part of the crane’s beak and light’s
leech. Step out from the light
into plumper hearts
Our Leaves Emerge
The sun,
feathery eye behind
feathery eye behind
wraps the pearl,
droops behind the pearl,
droops its feathery darkness
behind the pearl
*
our leaves emerge,
our blood boils down
our bones emerge,
the tongue splits
a crystal dust
covers the square
*
I wanted to tell
my love of a
certain melody
held my head
in its hands
barked like a demon
broke lemony teeth
would not let go
*
Let go.
And pay the ransom
forever and repay
the burden forever
*
Let go my love