Poem 74: Beautiful Measure
and there never was a measure
to say my distance from the world
so far was I from believing
from completeness, from everything
but now I have me a beautiful measure
and my distance is no more than
the light before your smile
as the sun before the day
or … Read the rest
Poem 111: Now Winding Me
now winding me around this
thin edge of sorrow
the long beauty
of this earth and its song
of continual dying
heard from the hard
falling of the dark
to the easy forgiving
of the light which in one fine
mornings whisper
begat the first shell sounding
sea sounding
from … Read the rest
Poem 73: Wherever the Line
wherever the line in pure light falls
reed upon reed
rush upon rush
for all the young women
flowing green
in their young moment
turning soft treasures
for faceless kings
and the keyless majesty
of their loaning beds
now going, going, gone away
whenever the line in pure light falls.… Read the rest
Poem 72: The River
Lord the river has come
to this house
and the grass
no longer grows
beside the gravel path
too many feet
have come this way
to find the river
but this house
cannot keep them
so please
take your river
to another path
and let me be
to imagine
and … Read the rest
Poem 71: A Trivial Murder
today I killed
one of my faces
a trivial murder
for both
of our sakes
but now
at least
one less lie
to lie behind.… Read the rest
Poem 70: I Will Gather
I will gather
all your
worlds children
under
my blanket
we will
press together
dark and warm
and smile
our smile.… Read the rest
Poem 69:Bastards
bastards,
smiling
as if
they know you
(no way)
you
(in your skin)
me
(in mine)
in the skin
(not of the skin)
in the bone
(not of the bone)
in the flesh
(not of the flesh)
in the mind
(not of the mind)
never mind
(she said)
I’m with … Read the rest
Poem 68: Wolf Wind
running now
in my natural part
sharply warm and listening,
shall it die me to this land
with its shielding night
of dark and dawn
and northern flame
now settling
in rook and scar
by sweeping hill
cold winter clear
and sharpening
given now to wires
of high and silent … Read the rest
Poem 67: Seventeen
go by the east my love
in 17 shades of brilliant white
lay gentle strings
humble the proud locks of night.
go by the west my love
in 17 shades of brilliant blue
child sea drift
moving peace on angry shores with you.
go by the south my love
in … Read the rest
Poem 66: They Wrote in Water (for DT)
they wrote in water
before you came
before you and your pen
with its crying sight
that saw the skies hidden fire
and forced its blistering heat
into the cold galley-way
of our words now washed
in the new wine
of your hearts wedding feast
that married
your pain and … Read the rest
Poem 65: Love Song in February
evening
and there
in the deep
darkening bowel
of this months sky
under the high
flying wing
of the glowing
black thrush
my love is seen
her eyes
a soundless
blue flame
fire lighting
the sad islands
of my life
into a still night
home coming
causeway
of golden rain… Read the rest
Poem 64: tv
this fragile mind moth
casually sleeping
in his holy begotten
crackling skull
drawing down
in cornered circles
to the palisaded box
our major national
night thief
in friendly shutters
and co-resplendent channels
divorcing the rings
of knowledge
living in repeat
of yawning eyes
uncovering the split jaw
of dog happy … Read the rest
Poem 63: The Doll Man
in the safety of his mind
the doll man sits
tacked in unknowing
to formless chairs
by the firing
of the mighty pin
a jackal gun shot
from the fronted
chinese avenue
holding the sad gown
in self known sitting
shrouded cold
by the full length
of the spectered bird… Read the rest
Poem 62: Thomas the Rhymer in Vietnam
please master thomas
no more sad-eyed people
felling the restless
name of god
simple shilling turned
to the teeming shadows
then split and multiplied
by the crossed illusion
corner stone cornered
appointing a fresh faced god
for the slow
and fast faces
by mind milled
in time for the last… Read the rest
Poem 61: Sparrow
to see
another sparrow
by grey kerbstone
lay down
his wings
and sleep.… Read the rest
Poem 60: Homeless in the West End
we have a madness here
crab isolation
fearful sideways running,
no shell over
twilight bodies
as separation becomes
the darling rest
of gutter bedded men,
as in evening atonement
the rain lover
cradles his head
turns his back
on the hard light
and wondering why
(as we do)
presses the … Read the rest
Poem 59: The Tiny Minstrels
bless the tiny minstrels
and their magic eyes
that sing me dearly
as they go
processional flames
born of the Sabbath real
laughing sweet
this salutation running
gathers those who cry
to the blazing hill
there to stand
softly burning
as the holly tree
fire-fly.… Read the rest
Poem 106: The Places of Touching
the places of touching
are the parts of us that bend forever
toward the light of knowing
what we are to each other
and always will be in all ways
being and touching even when apart
for you never were alone love
even when the oneness and the tiredness
of … Read the rest
Poem 58: We Sleep On
down the candle spread
of shivered time
past plush Sunday praise
the peeling chariot blond
tracks the foundling shawl
and the adder sleeps on
along the furrow point
of sanded sky
men of thistled hair dancing
on the prongs of night
drank the brooms deadly wine
and the adder sleeps … Read the rest
Poem 57: Florida Suite
not even for you cousin
can I leave these streets
that I know
this hopeful hopeless
line of standing frames
latch row of sepia faces
scoring my family years
two up, two down
two more or less to go
from these streets
that I know
they will not be left… Read the rest
Poem 56: The Caul
unborn me
unborn river
dark ribbon cold
ribbon wood tree
lean over to me
unborn living
unborn waiting
you speak
the heron strikes
the river shudders
the caul is pierced
quickened to fragments
of rippling sun
waking me
daystream girl
birth love
birth rite
morning white
morning light
lifted day… Read the rest
Poem 55: The Silver Tree
a crescendo
of cymbaling light
announcing the day
of the journeyman
riding high
across the arena
stepped in opal
clouds following
the cloak of straw
see flames of glass
above the land
that holds
the silver tree
glittering mills
of ardent steel
surrounding the jester
crouching witless
beside the fallow … Read the rest
Poem 54: Cleopatras Needle
all these things that we are
clouded rhyme
gentle crown
singing coil
hand rapt night
of the midnight sphinx
visiting children
with their hair
for holding and parting
from being to becoming
all these things that we are.… Read the rest
Poem 53: J.L. Seagull
This good morning
ghost
on the bright wing tip
of wonder
gliding the surf
into sprays
of deafening silence… Read the rest