within death of dreams
are old
men made
rising each morning to don the
cloth of reality
stooping to spit the phlegm
of a night's
longing into a porcelain bowl
men rising from a bed of
hope
fragrance of spent dreams
like odor of love
heavy in their hair
oil of
love
sticky on their fingers
fear of light a
darkness in red-glazed
eyes
tangled in sheets of dreams
raging toward a labored union
ripped by an
orgasm
poised a moment on pinnacle of
illumination available to
all men
only to
fall
fall again
and forever
into basal flesh
decorated with
furs, perfumes
of
decadent
eye:
will
limp as instrument of love
dangles
toy for the
lady of fate who
flops it
gently
from side
to
side.
spirit moves the water
light of
sunlight
wave on water
fish below
woven wavelets reflect your face
flash of
light
blink you miss it
open eyes
you're blinded
for a moment
fish in depths beneath the glint
men on shore build boats
wind blows, sails fill
boat
glides
over
water
toward
where sun goes down
on
board:
celebration
births
death
beneath:
fish live on in living
water
so, words...wrds
sew
word
compose
sow or sew
pig-sow or sop
slop
(the) pigs
5-gallon
bucket of
malt and mash,
potato skins, corn cobs,
carrot tops, dish
water
in a
trough
tough trough
tough to carry
one full
bucket
(carry
two)
soooooiiii,
soooooiiii,
sooii
sooii
pig call in autumn evening
air
hang on
raw wood, rough oak, fence gate
iron pump
fat prime
prime
pig
pig fat
sow pig
so word
pig feet
sow, shoat, gilt, barrow &
boar
bristle back
curly tail
pig snout
4-H
barrow
house
BREAKFAST
slop up the gravy with a
piece of bread
soak up the fat
with
half a biscuit
chew up the
crisp jowl meat
wipe up the egg
yolk:
sloppin's done.
Milkin's done.
Time to grow up.
(man the animal not eaten)
what is this voice we
speak
this sound we hear
this note we write
the in-turned silent ear
heard from
where we
see no golden film
pray no radiant spray of light
eye no
hail on
tin-roofed barn lost
tinder lost
lightning thunder
word mountain poised to
drop
and slumber
we will do and say and
if we hear speak record and
pricked by evil
ink
urged by angel dark
dissolve in acid
slumber marked by in-
turned eye bound
for nether
lands (nearby)
grocery list to buy vege-
tables milk and fruit nat-
ural
no not nat-
ural false and codified
canonized this sound
this voice
this
tale
taken to table
and
eaten later
"Now a word came stealthily to me,
and my
ear took fright at
it.
In thoughts from the visions of night,
when deep sleep falls,
fear came upon me,
and trembling,
which made all my bones to shake."
Job
Long-sought word
comes
at night,
veiled in ugly vision.
At daylight,
sleep-stung eyes
lose their
vision.
Dark again,
fear returns,
so does the vision.
Frightened
ear,
blinded eye,
fail to recapture.
Shaking bones,
flailing limbs,
sleep
become disaster.
"The Void inhaled me!"
"My Voice falters....
is filtered out
becomes
only
twenty-two letters.
How many things
do I
make
here?"
(straight-backed kitchen)
chairs in the yard,
where we
sat
yesterday, now
covered with snow.
A man has been
waiting at the door
for
five hours.
I am afraid to go out;
I am afraid to let him in.
True, we make a little
progress;
though stretched thin in this world.
Step in gum on sidewalks:
work
diligently, destroy illusions.
In our bodies(')
memory (of what) was promised to
us:
are or act as reminders to each other;
gentle fear acknowledged and
passed
beyond.
Not simple;
does not even appear simple;
not to dwell on
complications.
Sunlight through leaves, too not simple:
we are the
leaves--
alchemy of photosynthesis--
specific instance of trees squirrels
play
beneath:
dark spring water
stains the rock
from which it trickles.
After
rain
sun
glints
in droplets
on Your leafy face.
There's no still point
the whole world turns
each point
within
it
either spins about another
or all revolve about an
external point not found
at or
in the middle
but out, beyond
where no thought lies
and not to think
of stability
or
in-stability, no
point beyond the point
or within the point within;
rather no
points at all:
then we're free to welcome in the
other whether he or she
from any
realm or point may come--
in all their multiplicity--
single, one, persistent
tendering
hope and
forgiveness that we should search
within or without for that
which in itself
is place.
Rather look full-face into
the other haunted there
as we answer back
a
caring kiss with
caring kiss and in the depth below
what else to know
where
else to be?
Mighty acts we
acknowledge:
mysterious
sudden
usurpations of
power
blessings
eruptions
bountiful dispensations.
Not that we
are
honored,
but The Name is
honored;
not that we are
blessed,
but that
The
Name is blessed.
Thus we worship:
not because of what we have
received,
but because of the Giver
to "the extent to which it accords with
the faith in
Him who performs the
miracle".(1)
(1) Urbach, The Sages
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