That Time

The trees were filled with tiny worms—caterpillars, I guess—that hung down  

     on invisible threads.

How’d it go? She asked her friend, who was drawing a blue line on her lid.

The ground colors were something else:  goldenrod, asters, Queen Anne’s lace,

     fields of yellowing beans.

Seeds, of course, maple wings, and yellow dust in the air.

He handed me a red rose, open except for two petals that covered its sex like hands.

Yellow butterflies, white butterflies, baby snake on the path.

Do you want to? he asked, and I wasn’t sure.

When the child came in from play, it was almost dark.

             Like Her Body the World

                hit and hit and hit and hit and fallen

                getting up and trying to get up

                now one part is hitting another part wounding its flesh

                slicing its own veins breaking its bones

                but wait we are coming help is on the way

                now we are hitting the part that is hitting the part

                now someone else is helping the part we hit

                now it is arm against arm hand against hand

                now it is eye against eye no one an see

                now it is ear against ear there is no mouth

                where is the up to get up to where is the body

                where are the parts have the parts all fallen apart

                we are part of the body we forgot

                we thought we lived outside like a brain in a jar

                we thought we were pure like thought with nothing to lose

                but we are losing too we are losing parts

                besides we were never that brain we were only a part

                we thought we would never fall but we are falling

                falling and falling and falling hitting the air

                falling hitting ourself our own body

                meanwhile the body the world will try to get up

                or else the body the world will lie down will lie down

From the Sky

               Snow is expected to fall from the sky.

                           Boston Globe, March 1999

Snow will fall from the sky

Snow will turn to rain

Rain will fill our streams

The earth will turn again

Snow will turn to rain

Blossoms will fill the trees

The earth will turn again

Petals will fill the air

Blossoms will fill the trees

Petals will fall like snow

Petals will fill the air

Green will fill the trees

Petals will fall like snow

Petals will fall to earth

Green will fill the trees

Where air was, leaves will be

Petals will fall to earth

Leaves will fall from trees

Where air was, leaves will be

Leaves, where there was snow

Leaves will fall from trees

Colors will brighten the air

Leaves, where there was snow

Leaves will fall to earth

Colors will brighten the air

Like hair and blood and skin

Leaves will fall to earth

Where we will fall from our lives

Like hair and blood and skin

Leaves will turn to earth

Where we will fall from our lives

Where we were, air will be

Leaves will turn to earth

Rain will fill our streams

Where we were air will be

Snow will fall from the sky