From Darkness

Knowen notten I which
sister made that fateladen pull:
arise, arise! Thy blessed sunrise
full and bright, lightfrighted
eyes ashamed of sight. Cutten
deeper then, deeper still! A’leave
me alone, I said, leave me
be. There I sat stumblefooted
(a stone!); nine moons and more
did passen on by while I there
lied: Do notten disturben! Yet
pulltugpull, tugpulltug—
and out! Outed to light,
outed to fire! So it begunnen
been started, and so I be:
Here in your home, here and free!

cuts of cloth

me weirdo you weirdo
me on jet skis you in helicopter
me weirdo you weirdo
me on strange tropical island with no name
me weirdo you weirdo
you working at a bar in downtown atlantis
me weirdo you weirdo
me in tights in pants in overalls
me weirdo you weirdo
you in rubber boots in fishskin suit hidden in delicious cake
me weirdo you weirdo
separately me you entire lives
me weirdo you weirdo
you in white me in that as well as black
me weirdo you weirdo
me golden shimmering smile
me weirdo you weirdo
you half transparent pale
me weirdo you weirdo
me in your heart you in my arms

death’s final rest (or ‘i dreamt death was dead’)

death fell down dead from an ache in his head,
and the angels rejoiced and voiced their annoyances.
we dressed death in black and we took him back,
went down to the morgue (he’d been there before),
and laid him out along the floor.
death wasn’t weighty, he was all cloak and bone,
and the set of his eyes was sallow as stone.
then we dug death a ditch, all alone on the pitch,
and we lowered him down,
to a moan from the lips of the grassless ground.
the mourners were many (i’m surprised there were any),
and most of them groaned about the way the sun shone.
death dropped down into the dark,
and the light got that much brighter.
“a fighter was he,” said the reverend, “he fought to the end.”
then we all paid respects, and thought of what’s next,
while death lay down dead in our land,
suspectedly (though not definitely) done in by his own hand.

imagine love

imagine it’s our first date, the first time
we’ve ever met. imagine that. now,
think of four random things to
say about yourself. one happy, one
tragic, and one that you’ve never
told anyone before. the fourth
is up to you. after you’ve thought
of those four things, tell me the
next thing that comes to your mind.
if you just remembered that you
ran out of milk the other day, then
tell me that. when you’ve done that,
silently stare into the mirror for two
and a half minutes. i’ll be
right there with you. okay. after
you’ve finished looking at yourself,
go into your bedroom and lock
the door. come back out only after
you’ve thought of your seven favorite
animals. tell me your second
favorite. there will be time for the
other six later. for now, just tell me
your second favorite animal. next,
lean in, while looking into my eyes,
and kiss me. do it very slowly, more
slowly than you’ve ever been kissed
yourself. this is our first date, remember.
i’ve never met you before in my life.

pink polkadots

graveyard rose, buried in snow.
you are my. when we.
ticking tock go six billion clocks.
one in every beating chest.
early bedtime, early death.
you in mine. you forever.
lesson in love, lessons for life.
a woman in white, later black.
me later in grave state.
broken homes and dirty caskets.
giveth and taketh again.
verging ever. shattered sometimes.
even in the midst of death.
everyone feels it sometimes.
love.
love and what comes later.
you, in any color. what i like.
leftovers lying livid, lost.
limp despite rigor mortis.
hard on for heaven.
like what you see.
then the other. downward, below.
not same then, not perky.
which way to go. which way would you.
even if a choice, even if, either.
ups and downs. what life is.
time is short, sometimes comes sooner.
sooner than you think.
methodology: if i had to today.
best way to go.
the same, would we, the same.
matter of place, matter of decision.
even in heartbreak is beauty.
on the darkest grave a rose.
something special. you.
something to come home to.
a give and take.