morning exercises

8 46
His smile was so soft and fine:
except the occasional
sharp corner,

a spike of savour.

Teeth: pinch tight,
somewhere between

each smooth, flat
tongue press.



84 1
The leaves are falling, falling as if from far off,
how many miles is
a few months ago?

Relapse:
snowburied and
twelve again.

Necessity looks
back a lot on

that autumn I
used to be
twenty-four.

No longer chloro-
phylled, I watch her
blow away in the
reams of brown oak

and red maple
paper.


35 1
She is a martyr. And when crashing down
she does it with...
flair.

a style, a certain
grace.

blanketed in
deep red satin,
you see,

she's far away.

she always wanted
to be

marooned.



26 8
...but why are you not here?
Nevermind.

I'll answer my own
question, and finger

that green button. tugaway
strings, flick

a few pens.

The weight of
thought trembles,

either balance thrown
off by even

a tiny button. And I,

I pinch it
between fingertips,
its shell is smooth,

but it's hard
and is refusing

to bend.




79 6
urge them on to completion and chase

the length away
down the slow slope
of my pale arm.

i tug away miles
and tap out my fingertips.

behold, Pacific, i
breach you; i

bridge your deep
blue.

sea, gods, your
poured length of
parting is
nothing.

i overarch the tug
of each whirl and
eddy. each current,
undertow, riptide.

you won't put pressure
on me, there will be
no bending.

this is steel resolve, this
is me daring you
to defy me, insignificant
ocean.

i have wept twice your
measure in heartblood
and tears.

and burned equal
into steam with
the fire

behind these eyes.