Lux, Thomas Cradle Place, The
Th e Crad le Place
Thom as Lu x
A
MARI N ER
B O STO N
BOOK
•
/
H O U GH TO N M I FFLI N
N EW YO R K
CO MP AN Y
T h e Cr a d le Place
Also b y Th o m a s Lu x
The Land Sighted (chapbook)
Mem ory's Handgrenade
1970
1972
The Glassblower's Breath
1976
Versions of Cam pana (chapbook: translations)
Madrigal on the W ay Hom e (chapbook)
Sunday
1977
1977
1979
Like a W ide Anvil from the Moon the Light (chapbook)
Massachusetts (chapbook)
1981
Tarantulas on the Lifebuoy (chapbook)
Half Prom ised Land
1983
1986
The Drowned River 1990
A Boat in the Forest (chapbook)
1992
Pecked to Death by Swans (chapbook)
1993
Split Horizon 1994
The Blind Swim m er: Selected Early Poem s, 19JO-19J5
New and Selected Poem s, 1975-1995 1997
Merry Bones (chapbook) 2001
The Street of Clocks 2001
1
First Ma r in e r Books ed it ion 2005
Cop yr igh t © 2004 by Th om as Lu x
All righ ts reserved
For in fo r m a t io n ab ou t perm ission t o reprod u ce selections fr om t h is book,
writ e to Perm issions, H o u gh t o n M ifflin Com p an y, 215 Park Aven ue Sou t h ,
Ne w York, Ne w York 10003.
Visit our W eb site: www.h ou gh t on m ifflin b ooks.com .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Lu x, Th om as, date.
Th e crad le place / Th om as Lu x
p.
cm .
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-42830-4 ISBN-IO : 0-618-42830-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-61944-3 (p b k.) ISBN-IO : 0-618-61944-5 (p b k.)
I. Tit le .
PS3562.U87C73 2004
8 ll' .54 — dc22
2O O 30 6 7554
Book design by Melissa Lot fy
Prin t ed in t h e Un it e d States o f Am er ica
MP 10
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Man y of the poems in this book first appeared, sometimes in slightly different form , in
the followin g magazines:
Am erican Poetry Review: The Devil's Beef Tub; Debate Regarding the Perm issibility of
Eating Merm aids; Burned Forests and Horses' Bones; Dry Bite; Can't Sleep the Clowns
W ill Eat Me; Letter to W alt W hitm an from a Soldier He Nursed in Arm ory Square
Hospital, W ashington, D.C., 1866; Can Tie Shoes But W on't; Goofer-Dust; Term inal Lake;
Monkey Butter; Three Vials of Maggots; Render, Render; Portrait of X [III]; Rem ora.
Atlan tic Mon t h ly: The Gletz (under the title The Diam ond Cutter). Canary River: W ith
Maeterlinck's Great Book. 88: Guide for the Perpetually Perplexed. Field : Uncle Dung
Beetle; Myope; To Help the Monkey Cross the River; Flies So Thick above the Corpses in
the Rubble, the Soldiers Must Use Flam ethrowers to Pass Through. Five Points: Breakbone
Fever. Greensboro Review: Rather. Gu lf Coast: Ten Years Hard Labor on a Guano Island;
Scorpions Everywhere. Kenyon Review: The Magm a Cham ber. Lu m in a: The Ice W orm 's
Life. MARGIE: From the High Ground; To Plow and Plant the Seashore. New Delt a
Review: Dystopia. Passages Nort h : Reject W hat Confuses You. Pedestal: Thus, He Spoke
His Quietus; National Im palem ent Statistics. Rialto ( UK) : The Chief Attendant of the
Napkin; If One Can Be Seen. San Diego Reader: The Professor of Ants; 174517: Prim o
Levi, an Elegy. W illo w Springs: Birds Nailed to Trees; Boatloads of Mum m ies; The Late
Am bassadorial Light; Say You're Breathing.
The Am erican Fancy Rat and Mouse Association was first published by Fameorshamepress as a lim it ed-edit ion broadside.
Special thanks to Mary Corn ish , Ar ju n Shetty, and Gin ger Mu rch ison .
for m y blood: Elinor, m y m other,
Norm an, m y father,
and Claudia, m y daughter
M o m came and wen t —an d came, and brough t no day.
— B YR O N
I want the old rage, the lash of prim ordial m ilk!
—TH EO D O RE
RO ETH KE
Con t en t s
I
Th e Late Am bassadorial Ligh t 3
Say You're Breat h in g 4
Dr y Bit e 5
Horse Bleed in g to Deat h at Fu ll Gallop
6
Debat e Regardin g t h e Perm issibilit y o f Eat in g Merm aid s
7
Th e Professor o f An t s 8
Tact ile
9
Ten Years H ar d Labor on a Gu an o Islan d
Fam ily Ph ot o Ar o u n d Xm as Tree
Rather
10
11
12
Portrait of X [III]
13
Th r ee Vials of Maggots
Un cle D u n g Beetle
T h e Gl e t z
14
15
16
Ca n Tie Shoes Bu t W o n 't
17
Th e Am er ican Fancy Rat an d Mou se Association
To H e lp th e Mo n key Cross t h e River
Th e Devil's Beef Tu b
19
20
Boatloads o f M u m m ie s
21
Th u s, H e Spoke H is Q u iet u s
Th e Magn a Ch am b er
18
22
23
Birds Nailed to Trees 24
II
Gu id e for t h e Perpetually Perplexed
If O n e Ca n Be Seen
27
28
Th e Year t h e Locu st H a t h Eat en
29
ix
Bu rn ed Forests an d Horses' Bones
30
Let t er t o W a lt W h it m a n from a Soldier H e Nu rsed i n
Ar m or y Square H osp it al, W ash in gt on , D .C., 1866
Scorpion s Everywh ere
Myop e
32
33
34
III
To Plow an d Plan t t h e Seashore
Am p h r ib r ach Dan ce
Rem ora
38
39
Nat ion al Im p alem en t Statistics
Asafetida
37
40
41
r745r7: Prim o Levi, an Elegy 42
Goofer-Dust
43
W i t h Maet erlin ck's Great Book
Ter m in al Lake
44
45
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Na p k in
46
Th e Mo u n t ain s in t h e River on t h e W ay t o t h e Sea
Reject W h a t Confuses You
48
49
Flies So T h i c k above t h e Corpses i n t h e Ru b b le, t h e
Soldiers Mu st Use Flam et h rowers to Pass Th r o u gh
Th e Ice W orm 's Life
51
52
Provincia Aurifera
I W i l l Please, Said the Placebo
H ospit alit y an d Revenge
Fr om t h e H igh Gr o u n d
Dystopia
53
54
55
56
Mon key Bu t t er
Breakbon e Fever
57
58
Can 't Sleep t h e Clown s W i l l Eat M e
Ren der, Ren der
X
60
59
50
T h e Cr a d le Place
I
Th e Late Am bassadorial Ligh t
Ligh t reaches t h r ou gh a leaf
an d t h at ligh t , d im in ish ed , passes t h r ou gh
an ot h er leaf,
an d an ot h er, d own
to t h e lawn ben eat h .
Gr een , green , t h e h igh grass shivers.
W at er over a stone, an d bees,
bees arou n d t h e flowers, deep-tiered beds
of t h e m , yellows an d golds an d reds.
Saw-blade ferns feather i n t h e breeze.
An d , just as a cloud's corn er
catches th e su n , a t in y glin t in t h e garden —t h e m ilk
o f a broken stalk? A lion 's tooth ?
O r m igh t t h at be t h e delicat e labia
of an orch id?
3
Say You're Breat h in g
just as you do every day, in an d ou t , in an d ou t , an d in each
breat h : one t ick
of a shavin g from a bat's eyelash, an in visible sliver
of a body m it e
wh o lived near Caligula's sh in , d iam on d dust (we each in h ale a carat
in a lifet im e), a speck o f scu rf
from t h e Th i r d Dynasty (t h at of t h e abu n d an t
im beciles), one sulfurous grain
from th e smoke of a m ort ar r o u n d , a m ot e of m arrow
from a bon e p okin g t h r ou gh a sh allow grave,
a wh iff from a m u m m y grin d er
caugh t i n a Sahara win d , m ost of t h e Sahara itself,
in h aled i n Gr een lan d , sweat d ried t o crystal on you r father's lip
an d lift ed t o t h e sky
before you were b orn —a ll, a ll, a galaxy
of fragments floating
arou n d you every day,
in h aled every day,
happy to rest i n your lun gs
u n t il th ey are dust again
an d again risen .
4
Dry Bit e
W h e n th e krait strikes b u t does n ot loose
h is ven om : dry b it e. W h a t makes th e snake choose
n ot to k ill you? N o t Please,
n ot J didn't m ean
to step on you. H e may be fresh ou t : struck
recen t ly som et h in g else. Bu t : i f he wit h h old s
his poison ,
wh en does h e do so an d why?
Ca n h e t ell you are harmless t o h im ?
H e can 't swallow you , so wh y k ill you?
Th ere's n o use asking t h e krait : he's deaf.
In t h at ch em ical, t h at sp lit -b illion t h
of a secon d, h e decides
an d t h e lit t le valve
of h is ven om sac
stays shut or opens wid e.
Dry, oh dry, dry b it e—lu cky t h e day
you began t o wear
the krait's snake-eyed m ark
on your wrist
an d you walked d own t h e m o u n t a in
in t o t h e valley
of t h at wh ich rem ain s o f you r life.
5
Horse Bleed in g to Deat h at Fu ll Gallo p
(La Florida, 1540)
Four arrows i n h i m , wait , five,
on e so deep its feathers lie
ben eat h his coat. H is rider's dead,
fallen off, eleven arrows in his n eck
bet ween h elm et an d breastplate,
a blood y, spiky collar. W it h o u t th e weigh t
of th e rid er, his lan ce, spurs, th e horse st ill
ru n s, runs wh ip -b lin d , over t h e green h ills
u n t il h e reaches th e wh ite-san d shore
and he can r u n or walk n o m ore.
6
Debate Regardin g t h e Perm issibilit y
of Eat in g Mer m aid s
Cold-wat er m erm aid s, an d on ly on Fridays, said Pope Ign ace VI I .
Su m erian texts suggest con sen t i f h u m a n parts
predecease fishy parts,
b u t cu n eifor m d et ailin g t h is
was lost to t o m b robbers.
Th e Brit ish Ad m iralt y, sixt een t h cen t u ry, deem ed it an t h ropoph agy
an d forbade it ,
t h ou gh castaways, after sixty days,
were exem pt ed
u p o n t h e d ep let ion of sea biscuit s. Taboo! Taboo!, said t h e Sou t h Sea
Islanders, t h ou gh a m an co u ld m arry one
if his aquatic skills
impressed h er en ou gh . Con versely, a wo m an , n o m at t er
h ow well she swam ,
co u ld n ot m arry wit h a m er m an . Uruguayan s, Iowan s,
leave n o records on th e subject.
Th e Germ an s find it distasteful,
t h ou gh recen t ly declassified W o r ld W ar I I archives
suggest cert ain U-boat c a p t a i n s . . .
N o p r ob lem for t h e Fren ch : flambeed or ben eat h bearnaise.
Th e official Ch in ese p osit ion is th ey d on 't have a p osit ion !
—Bu t I grow weary of t h is d ou r study,
t ired o f th e books
wh erein th is news is h id d e n , t h e creakin g shelves
in m u seu m basements, th e cr u m b lin g pages
of t h e past an d fu t u re, I' m t ired
of t h is foggy research
to wh ich I've devoted decades
t ryin g t o find t h e t r u t h i n these matters
an d wh at m atters in such t r u t h .
7
Th e Professor o f An ts
For his wh ole life ants were t h e life o f t h e Professor o f An t s. O n his
belly, on his h an ds, knees, above t h e wor ld o f ants: wh ich colon y
forages wh ere, wh e n , wh at ; wh ich tribes cooperate wit h ot h er t ribes,
wh ich t ribe attacks th e sm aller tribes. Al l day, t h e sun h a m m er in g
h is shoulders an d n eck above t h e wo r ld of ants. Som e days h e gives
t h em shade t h ey d id n ot kn ow before. H e recognizes m an y by t h eir
marks or m issin g legs. Th e Professor's got his pen an d clip b oard ou t ,
season after field season. Th er e go t h e leaf cutters, off to work, 6:45
A.M ., to shear t h eir sails of green . Th e harvesters carry t in y sacks of
seeds to sow an d lit t le hoes to weed t h eir rows of fu n gi. An d , from a
large colon y, st art in g ou t on t h eir t h rice-yearly slave-m akin g raids,
t h e san guin e ants. W h e n t h e sanguines are away—the Professor has
n ot ed , an d t wice p u b lish ed , th is fact—som etim es a gold en -h aired
beetle (Hylurgus ligniperda) moves in t o t h eir nest, an d wh en t h e
sanguines ret u rn (carryin g t h eir slaves!) t h e beetle secretes a d r in k
t h at makes th e slavers h er slaves, an d t h e n ew slaves o f th e slavers
h er slaves as well. Th e sanguines n eed t h e slaves to groom t h eir
eggs. Th e beetle needs t h e ants to feed h er an d hers. Th e ants d on 't
n eed th e beetle at all. Th e Professor needs t h e ants t o feed h i m an d
h is. Back at t h e lab , at t h e ch alkb oard , h e wishes n ot t o feel wh at
th ey feel wit h t h eir feelers.
8
Tact ile
O n e eyelash, on e
m illim et er
lon ger t h an each ot h er eyelash on you r left eyelid , bends
at its t ip , as it , alon e, leans
on m y lowest left rib's ledge, t h is single filament
h o ld in g your bones
to m in e . A t ou ch o f n o t o u ch , a t ou ch
so ligh t the t act ile scale's
n eedle barely breathes. Th e n ,
at t ach ed to a h u m a n as it is,
th is one eyelash
lashes m e t h ere, m an y t im es,
an d t on igh t t h e t in y scars sh in e
in t h e blue-stone dark.
9
Ten Years H ar d Lab or on a Gu an o Islan d ,
said H is H on or , h an d in g you a p ick
an d a shovel
an d a t icket
for a boat rid e here
wh ere t h e shovel is ch ain ed
to your righ t wrist
an d to t h e left, a bucket .
Th e pick yo u 'll wear strapped to you r back
u n t il it's t im e to pick wit h it .
You 'll d ig, for a decade, d own
t h rou gh t h e strata t h e seabirds left over eons
an d , one by on e, h au l t h e bucketfuls
to the dockside piles.
Th e birds stopped h ere to rest awh ile,
t h e roam in g, t h e landless,
t h e lon g-distan ce birds on protracted win gs.
O n days, wor kin g t h e cliffs, wh en you can overlook
t h e sea, you m igh t see—a foot
or two above t h e waves,
as you m in e his ancestors' gu t s—you m igh t st ill see on e.
10
Fam ily Ph ot o Ar o u n d Xm as Tree
Dad's left ar m reaches across Mo m 's back
an d even across Dom e's, h is daugh ter's,
an d just touch es wit h his fin gert ips
his son Rusty's sh oulder.
Dot t ie's t en , Rusty eigh t , t h ou gh sm all for h is age
an d his left eye a lit t le lazy.
Th e tree t h ick
wit h foil an d ligh t s, lit candles an d a m an t el h u n g
wit h m on ogr am m ed socks. Rein deer race
across Dad's sweater. I f you lift
th is p ict u re t o you r nose, you sm ell cider
an d snow, Mo m 's valley-of-th e-lily
perfu m e. Th e fire's
p in e knots snap. O h bless th is fam ily
an d t h eir d og, Ch ocolat e,
bless th is house an d h ear t h ,
an d bless Gr am m y, wh o will be here soon ,
t h ou gh Gran d pa won 't
th is year, n or dear Au n t Elsie, dear, dear Au n t .
Th e b ig b lu e b owl o f crabm eat salad she b rou gh t
each year d it t o won 't be h ere. Bless
th is fam ily, t h e livin g an d t h e dead,
an d m ay t h ey never send a card
or newsletter to m e again .
11
Rather
Rath er strapped face to face wit h a corpse, rather an asp
forced d own m y t h roat , rath er a glass
t u be in serted i n m y u ret h ra
an d t h en m em ber smashed
wit h a h am m er , rather wan der t h e m alls o f Am erica sh oppin g
for shoes, rather
be lu n c h , fr om the ankles d own ,
for a fish, rather m istake rabbit drops
for capers, or pearls, rath er m y father's bones crush ed to dust
an d b lown —b lin d in g m e — i n m y eyes,
rather a flash flood o f liq u id m u d ,
bou lders, bran ch es, d rown ed dogs, tear t h r ou gh Boys Town
an d gr in d u p a t h ousan d orph an s, rath er
finger puppets
wit h ice picks
probe m e, rather n um bn ess, rather Malaysian t on gu e wo r m , rather ru e,
rather a starved rat
t ied by his t ail t o m y last t oot h ,
rather m em ory becom e m u sh ,
rather n o m ore books be writ t en b u t on t h e sole subject of self, rather
a ret in al t at t oo, rather buckets of bad b a cilli an d n o t h in g else
to d r in k, rather t h e blat h er
at an En glish Dep ar t m en t m eet in g, rath er
a m o u n t a in fall on m y h ead t h an t h is,
wh at I p u t d own h ere, rather
all o f the above t h an t h is, t h is:
12
.
Portrait of X [ III]
Pu r b lin d , he rose, shot his cuffs, an d h it
th e door, a gangster
b u t gangless, dead in the h eart , dead
in th e rat-black r u m d u m red u n d an t h eart , lost
to th is wor ld an d n ot RSVPin g
invites to th e next.
Is th is th e one wh o wou ld lead us to a n ew aesthetic?
Is th is th e on e, fragile, m o r ib u n d , afraid,
wh o will lead th e fragile, m o r ib u n d , an d afraid?
Is th is th e New Tr u t h messenger,
th e one wh o will defin e
th e New Politics
or t h e New Poetics
wit h th e O ld O bliqu e?
H is famous sneer eats his gu t like a wo r m .
J3
Th r ee Vials o f Maggots
were collect ed from t h e corpse
fou n d lyin g in a field
n ear a sm all stream . Fr o m these t h e lab can t ell
at wh at t im e t h e dead on e d ied .
Th ey have schedules, t h e flies.
Som e lay eggs
wh ich h at ch t o maggots
wh ich con su m e t h e corpse. O t h ers com e t o eat flies, maggots, eggs.
H id e beetles arrive t o clean t h e grist le.
It's an ord erly arran gem en t .
W h a t t h e maggots do
th ey do for yo u .
Un cle D u n g Beetle
H a il, Un cle D u n g Beet le!, he wh o
wherever dung m eets dirt, wh ich is everywh ere, is ou r sweet savior,
wit h o u t wh o m
each o f us on t h e plan et u p t o ou r necks
in two-day-old—crusty o n t h e out side,
soft i n t h e m id d le —cow pies,
wit h o u t wh o m
t h e gloom y sten ch
of earth everywhere infused gloom ier,
wit h o u t wh o m
t h e worm s cou ld n ot carry t h eir b u r d en alon e,
wit h o u t wh o m t h e earth
receives less n it rogen
an d m ore bacteria eat t h eir way t h r ou gh in testin es,
wit h o u t wh o m n o breat h t akin g
specializations: t h e d u n g beetle wh o lives
in a sloth's r u m p fur and leaps off to rid e
his host's droppin gs to t h e gr ou n d , a jarred
b u t in st an t claim an t ,
wit h o u t wh o m
we wo u ld be swallowin g shovelfuls of flies each day,
wit h o u t wh o m
on ly in heaven
(an d t h en on ly after all t h e dead are evicted!)
wo u ld it be possible to live.
15
Th e Glet z
Th r o u gh t h e lou pe or peepstone it's t h ere: a m in id ot of air,
an d wh en ligh t shines t h rou gh
t h e object , t h e gletz is visible via m icroscope, x-ray scope.
It's a flaw, d im in ish in g
an object : wh en ligh t ,
u n im p ed ed ,
passes t h r ou gh it
t h e object's b r illian ce
is m ost b r illian t . A gletz affects
clarit y, affects m erit .
It's best i f n o gletz can be fou n d at a ll.
Th e gletz's place m atters: h igh er u p , bad news;
lower, less-bad news.
Th ey in d icat e fragilit y,
these breathless, cell-sized cells
wh ere t wo in m ates are locked
an d each has a kn ife.
16
Can Tie Shoes b u t W o n 't ,
— for Brendan Constantine
it said on his report card , five years o ld , t h e boy
so slu n g
against th e river's cu rren t he was later lost
in h is paper can oe, paddled
h im self lost, or h a lf lost, or less lost t h an m ost , n ot
in t h e m id river flot illa wit h all t h e ot h er boats
figh t in g th e m ain an d ch u r n in g cu r r en t ,
b u t instead alon g an d beside an d even u n d er
t h e river's ban ks—t h e place of overhangs
an d eddies, sloughs
an d wh ir lp ools, th e shaded
place ben eath t h e bu g-brailled leaves,
t h e pyt h on -laden bran ch es, t h e place
ben eath th e bank's cool clay, bet ween t h e roots,
wh ere th e t oot h y creatures
cache t h eir prey
for later. D i d h e travel always
on one side of t h e river? N o .
H ow d id he cross to th e ot h er side? Carefu lly,
cu t t in g th e cu rren t wit h o u t fighting it ,
givin g u p some distance t o it , in order t h at ,
just so,
t h e shade, t h e ligh t , th e sligh t u n d u lat ion s of t h e river's ben ds, are ch an ged,
with intention,
an d for years, u pst ream , a lifet im e,
th is way, upstream h e goes,
th is way, upst ream ,
on h is voyage.
17
Th e Am er ican Fan cy Rat an d
Mou se Association
Rat breeders gather
to p r im p an d parade t h eir best—th e ch in ch illa rat ,
silks, t h e Mo lu cca n cream b elly—at t h is dog show
for m ice an d rats wh ere, i f en tered a cat,
th ere wo u ld be n o cr own in g
th is year of Rat o f t h e Year, Mou se o f t h e Decade.
Th e judge cradles a q u akin g con testan t i n her p a lm .
Reput at ion s m ade or b r oken , breed in g secrets, b u ild
a better can cer rat an d you r prid e can t u r n to cash, pack
an oth er gram o f fat
on t h e t h igh s o f a m ouse
an d th is news shivers u p an d d own t h e row
of herpetologists here for t h e show.
Th e n , in an ot h er, a back row,
sit those whose interests lie in mouse an d rat aesthetics
rather t h an i n t h eir beh avior
or m arket p ot en t ial — O h t h e b eau t ifu l,
beau t ifu l rats, they sigh , oh t h e b eau t ifu l rats.
18
To H e lp t h e Mo n key Cross t h e River,
wh ich h e m ust
cross, by swim m in g, for fruits an d n uts,
to h elp h i m
I sit wit h m y rifle on a p lat form
h igh i n a tree, same side o f t h e river
as t h e h u n gry m on key. H o w does th is assist
h im ? W h e n h e swims for it
I look first u priver: predators m ove faster wit h
t h e cu rren t t h an against it .
If a crocod ile is aim ed from u priver t o eat t h e m on key
an d an an acon da from d own river burn s
wit h t h e same a m b it io n , I do
t h e m at h , algebra, angles, rate-of-monkey,
croc- an d snake-speed, an d if, if
it looks as t h ou gh t h e an acon da or t h e croc
will reach t h e m on key
before h e attain s t h e river's far ban k,
I raise m y rifle an d fire
on e, t wo, t h ree, even four t im es in t o t h e river
just b eh in d t h e m on key
to h u r r y h i m u p a lit t le.
Sh oot t h e snake, t h e crocodile?
Th ey're just d oin g t h eir jobs,
b u t t h e m on key, t h e m on key
has lit t le hands like a ch ild 's,
an d t h e sm art ones, i n a cage, can be t au gh t t o sm ile.
!9
Th e Devil's Beef Tu b
Th er e are m yst eries—wh y a duck's quack
doesn't ech o an ywh ere
an d : Does Go d exist ?—wh ich
will rem ain always as mysteries. So
the same wit h cert ain abstracts
align ed wit h sensory life: t h e t act ile,
for exam ple, o f an iron bar
to th e foreh ead. Mu r d e r
is abstract, an ir on bar t o t h e sku ll
is n ot . O h lost
an d from t h e win d n ot a sin gle peep o f grief!
O n e day you're walkin g d own th e street
an d a m an wit h a m achete-shaped shard
of glass (its h ilt
wrapped in a blood y t owel) walks t oward yo u ,
purposefully, on a m ission .
D o you stop to discuss h erm en eu t ics wit h h im ?
D o you engage h i m in a discussion abou t Derrida?
D o you worry t h at Der r id a m igh t be t h e cause o f his rage?
Every day is like t h is,
is a m et ap h or or a sim ile: like op en in g a can
of alph abet soup
an d seeing n o t h in g b u t X's, n o , look
closer: lit t le n ood le
swastikas.
20
Boatloads o f Mu m m ie s
em barked from Egypt t o New Jersey i n 1848.
Boatloads o f m u m m ies by sail
sold t o a p u lp m ill
to m ake in t o paper.
W h i c h ven t ure (on e tries to t h in k
wh at th e investors t h ou gh t ) d id n 't
work ou t : t h e station ery resu lt in g
was gray
an d gritty
an d h eld n ot t h e black depths of in k.
O n e wonders wh ere th e r em ain in g m u m m ies wen t .
A few were gr ou n d t o powder
an d p u t in jars, an d t h en on shelves of rem edies,
b u t all t h e rest, t h ree or four h old fu ls,
wh ere d id th ey go
wh en t h e vision o f capit al failed
(as visions d o, m ore often
t h an they d o n 't ), wh ere d id
t h e r em ain in g m u m m ifie d go?
21
Th u s, H e Spoke H is Q u iet u s,
— for Larry Levis (1946-1996)
Larry d id , wit h his book Elegy, his elegy, his last
lon g r o llin g lin es of sadness, o f un sobbed sobs,
of his im m en se wrecked h eart ,
his finishing stroke,
his last h ard dig
of t h e paddle before lift in g it
from t h e wat er, an d h is can oe, on t h e silen t straight lin e
cu t by its keel,
beaches it self
on t h e sandy, t h e ligh t ed , t h e silt -lapped, t h e ot h er, shore.
22
Th e Magm a Ch am b er
H ere it boils an d begins t o b u ild , deep in t h e core,
wh at will be lava, m olt en
rock, i n great d om ed cathedrals o f rage u n d er gr ou n d
even t ually expelled —t o air,
and lan d . Som etim es
the m agm a —feedin g u p in t o t h e spreading rift
to fill t h e cracks
bet ween th e separating plates —heals. Som etim es
it needs a way ou t
and finds it —b an g! —an d slow, remorseless rivers
of liq u id rock, red rivers
of rock, find t h eir way
to t h e sea—t h rou gh houses an d horses,
over beet fields an d p u t t in g greens, over h ospitals, eat in g
t h r o u gh , wit h fire,
an yt h in g t h at wants t o stay i n its place
and just go on bein g. Th e orb
is h ot in sid e, h u r t ,
wh ich is bad for those wh o gauge
and receive its rage.
N o t h in g can stop it
bu t t h e sea
wh ich boils wh ere it enters, n o t h in g
b u t t h e sea is vast an d deep
and cold en ou gh
to take all th is p ou red fury, n o t h in g
b u t t h e sea ( if it so pleases)
can m ake a n ew islan d , n ew m ou n t ain s,
a n ew rep u b lic of h ope.
2
3
Birds Nailed to Trees
So the bird s, t h r ou gh
t h eir bon y yellow toes, are tacked
to branches
an d look as i f t h ey ch ir p , an d ch ir p we ll, in d eed .
A b ir d on t h e gr ou n d
tugs a wo r m fr om its h ole, a m et aph or
for in dust ry an d joy. H er p lu m p t ail tilts
to t h e task. Th e wo r m h olds on
by a h ook in its gut .
Th ere's a nest in the t ableau t oo,
an d three eggs, pastel b lu e
an d glu ed
together. Mo t h e r , m ot h er b ir d , on nest's edge,
huffs h er belly feathers
an d prepares to sit u p on her h ollow eggs.
A red b ir d curves
overh ead, h is dive h alt ed —t h ou gh perpet u al—by on e
win g p in n ed to a leaf
an d a wire
st run g from his beak
to the black corners o f t h is box
of birds, Our friends who fly,
as they live today in your backyard.
An d lookit over t h ere: a cat sm ackin g his eyes.
An d the boy by t h e barn p u m p in g his p ellet gu n h ard .
24
II
(ot h er voices)
Gu id e for t h e Perpetually Perplexed
D o n ' t h u r t you r b r ain o n t h is: i f th e arrow poin ts left,
it's left you sh ou ld go. Th e n
take your first righ t ,
t h en t h e n ext righ t ,
again t h e n ext righ t , t h en an ot h er
righ t . I f you h ead-on a cem en t t r u ck,
it is as it sh ou ld be. Too m u ch
perplexit y an d soon everyone's head
is a revolvin g h ologram o f a question m ark!
In stead: i f t h e sign says USE YO U R W O RD S,
t h en use you r words,
in th is order: subject , verb, object .
In stead: i f t h e sign says SH U T T H E FU CK U P ,
t h en you sh ou ld sh ut th e fuck u p .
If it comes over th e in t er com t o get i n lin e ,
for gosh sakes, t h en get in lin e , you r win gbon es
to t h e wall an d eyes forward.
D o n o t h in g to fu rt h er perplex t h e ot h er perplexed.
W e 'll let you kn ow wh en it's sin gle file for lu n c h ,
wh ere it's first you r placemats o f puzzles
an d im possible dots t o discon n ect
followed by you r beans, an d you r b r own m eat , gray,
over wh ich yo u 'll pray, o h yes, yo u 'll pray,
if you d on 't wan t us t o break you r n eck.
2
7
I f O n e Can Be Seen
If one can be seen, how can one see?,
t h e O n e Afraid to Be Seen said
in m y office
on a late February aft ern oon .
Th e gold seals on m y diplom as leach ed
to yellow i n t h e weak
ligh t . I loat h e Februarys.
Th e O n e Afraid t o Be Seen
wore a p u p p et theater on his h ead.
I t ried to answer his qu est ion .
Looking outward
while being looked at
need not stop you from going forth
into the world, I offered.
Th er e was a cord
t h at th e O n e Afraid to Be Seen
cou ld p u ll to open t h e cu rt ain s on his face.
H e m oved as i f to p u ll t h e cord
b u t d id n 't , t h en again
reached for it
an d open ed t h e cu rt ain s a shiver, t h en closed t h e m again ,
an d again raised a h an d as i f
to open . . . an d I whack-sm acked
t h e pu ppet theater off h is h ead
wit h a lon g, lo o p in g, kn uckle-dust ed backh an d slap
I learn ed in n ot one of t h e best schools (b u t n ot a bad
one eit h er) in m y profession
an d its appoin t ed tasks.
28
Th e Year t h e Locu st H a t h Eat en
Th ey ch ewed m y lawn d own to sand
an d t h en polish ed
each facet of each sand grain
wit h t h eir relentless win gs an d t h en
were u p an d off again , a h uge b a ll,
a t orn ad o, a rack-clackin g
win d of t h em .
Th ey ate th e sheep o f all b u t t h eir wool.
Th ey ate t h e trees' leaves, t h en t h e twigs, t h en th e bran ch es,
t h en t h e t ru n ks,
t h en sent ou t sappers
for t h e roots. Th ey gnawed fence posts
leavin g parallel rows
of barbed wire
across bald fields.
Th ey took d own t h e haystacks
an d fou n d n o needles.
Th ey left t h e b ookm ob ile
tireless an d wit h b u t one book u n eat en : (in sert odious book
of you r ch oice).
Th ey con su m ed th e letters in t h e at t ic,
all t h e letters from sea t o lan d
an d lan d t o sea,
all t h e letters o f fun eral an d woo.
Gran dm a's wed d in g dress—leaving a wreck
o f pearl bu t t on s—t h ey devoured.
Th ey bu zz-cu t t h e attic
an d its sawdust sifted d own
to t h e second floor—which was wh en I fled
an d left b eh in d t h e b it t en lan d an d t h e year
t h e locust h at h eaten.
29
Bu r n ed Forests an d Horses' Bones
are all we see wh en we cross th e river
to this lan d . Two or t h ree days, we guess, since t h e fire
reach ed th is shore
an d wen t to sleep.
Th is is wh ere it st opped,
n ot wh ere it started.
W h y d id n 't it leap th is n arrow river?
We see b u t wisps, locally, o f sm oke.
We can 't go back t h e way we cam e.
Before we crossed
to this scorch ed shore, we kn ew: we can 't
go back wh en ce we cam e.
Th e t rail is ch arred wit h drifts of ash,
b u t passable. We are n in e m e n , t h ree wo m e n , seven ch ild r en ,
t h ree m u les—t wo p u llin g carts; t h e t h ir d , a pack
on its back—on e d og, on e d u ck.
We see n o t h in g
b u t th e b u r n ed bones
of horses, n o t for m iles, n ot h in g n ot gray or black.
Because his whiteness (t h ou gh goin g
a grim y gray) offends us, we'll eat t h e d u ck.
Th r ee m ore days we travel am id sm old erin g stum ps,
crossing sooty streams, n o sounds b u t t h e screech
ou r feet m ake oh th e black
an d squeaky gr ou n d .
At n igh t t h ere is n o wood wit h wh ich t o b u ild a cookin g fire.
Tom orrow we'll hack u p an arm oire
an d k ill an d roast th e d og.
N o t on e o f th e ch ild r en will cry.
3°
W e have t h ree m ules yet, t wo carts.
W e have one m ission : t o arrive
wh ere th e fire started
an d pass over it t o t h e place before t h e fire began.
3
1
Let t er to W alt W h it m a n from a Soldier
H e Nu rsed i n Ar m or y Square H osp it al,
W ash in gt on , D .C., 1866
dear W alt , k in d u n cle, its near two years since I left Arm ory Sq.
& I'm h om e n ow. Th e corn grew good this su m m er an d we
bou gh t 2 cows. M y leg ain 't righ t st ill b u t it's st ill m y leg. W h e n
you p r om m iced they wo u ld n 't take it was the first t im e after t h e
grapeshot I d id n 't wan t to go to the wor ld wh ere th ere is n o
p art in g. Dear Un cle, we have h ad a son born ed & we call h i m
W alt er W h it m a n W illis, he is well & Br igh t as a d ollar. Yrs
Affection ately, Bill W illis
3
2
Scorpion s Everywh ere
Th er e goes on e disguised as a m ouse!
An d those gray fellows, bushy t ails,
wh o ju m p from tree to roof to fence.
W at ch t h eir eyes as t h ey wat ch you
wh ile t h ey eat t h eir nuts. Th ey
are everywhere n ow
an d , t oo, t h eir cousin s, t h e wh it e-t ailed browsers (Bam b i
is a baby o f t h eir species' n am e) wh o eat
ou r suburb's shrubs an d herbs;
an d those t h at p u r r ,
an d those m out h -breat h ers, d r oolin g woofers,
an d t h e ones wit h ban d it eyes wh o trash
t h e t rash —all
of these creatures (an d , t oo, t h eir spawn) are n ot
as t h ey seem.
D o n ot m ore an d m ore of t h e m m ove closer an d closer?
D o you look o u t t h e win d ow an d see two?
D o you t u r n away, t u r n back, see three?
D o you hear t h e lit t le brot h er of t h e wo lf
h o wlin g from t h e m arsh near t h e golf
course, th e 8t h tee? H e
leads t h e m a ll, qu ick, cu n n in g, an d assisted
by his m in ist er, a gn at.
Each is, in fact —t h is is certain — a scorpion
an d h olds a p h ial o f ven om
u n t il t h e t im e it's t im e to in ject i n you !
O h h h h —o n t h e day th e win d is wrecked ,
o n t h e day t h e sky breaks,
on th e day th e sea creeps u n d er a rock!
33
Myop e
Th e boy can 't see b u t what's righ t in fron t o f h i m .
Ask h i m about t h at clock
across t h e r o o m , he can 't see it , or h e d on 't
care. H e makes a p ict u re o f a m ou n t ain —h e's lo o kin g
at th e m o u n t a in !—a n d it comes ou t fuzzy
an d he puts i n cliffs an d fizzers
t h at ain 't t h ere. Sit an apple d own
o n t h e t able an d h e can draw it i n p e n cil, i n color, on ce so r igh t
I alm ost took a bit e.
An d he's got a nose on h i m like a h o u n d .
H is daddy says he can sniff a rat i n a freezer.
A set o f ears, t oo: he says h e hears
his baby brot h er cryin g
an d I can get to h i m
just as he opens his m o u t h t o wail
an d in m y arms it's righ t to sleep again .
Th a t com es i n h an dy, som etim es. Som etim es
a baby's got to cry.
Th e boy's a b it od d .
H e likes books a lot .
O n a h ot su m m er even in g,
I swear, he's readin g on t h e p orch
an d th e t u r n in g pages m ake a breeze.
34
To Plow an d Plan t t h e Seashore
H is tractor rattles d own t h e dun es: low t id e, it's t im e to p low
t h e seashore an d t h en follow
wit h t h e finer h arrow
blades to com b
th is r ich earth sm ooth er. Th e bits of sh ell an d weed
will con t rib u t e to t h e harvest.
He's n ot been farm in g lon g—see: he has all his fingers
to t h eir tips. N o , he's n ot been farm in g
lon g. No w his field is ready
an d it's t im e to plan t his seeds
in earth t h rou gh wh ich he p u lled his farmer's tools.
Th is year, it's corn : he loves t h e lit t le yellow crown s.
Yes, th is year it's co r n , the farm er t h in ks,
last year the soybeans d id n 't take
an d t h e yield was: m in us-bean s, i.e., t h e seed beans, t oo, were gon e.
Co r n will love th is r ich an d m u d d y grou n d
an d grow in rows over his lon g b u t t h in t wo acres.
Th at 's wh at th ey gave t h e farm er: two acres, a tractor
wit h its partners,
an d t h at lit t le house
in t h e blue-green sea grass
above his field . Also four ch icken s.
Th ey gave h i m four ch icken s
an d a h am m er, an d a p it ch fork.
Th is is wh at they gave h i m
an d he was glad for it , an d for his t it le: farmer.
H is fields are t illed .
Som eday h e'll have a daugh t er an d a son.
By m o r n in g, t h e farm er t h in ks, t h e shoots
will be u p an in ch or t wo.
Th e wron ged one is always t h e wron g on e.
37
Am p h r ib r ach Dan ce
Rem em ber, first fallin g, an d fallin g,
from lofty, from distan t, from dizzy
cliff's slim ledge, yes fallin g, t h rou gh clear, n ot
blu e-bu rn ed air, yet fallin g, st ill fallin g
to soft san d, to h ard sea, to lon gin g
for lon gin g, an d m u ch less: t h e b roken ,
t h e t h u n ky, t h e d an cin g we each d id ,
t h e heels d o wn , t h en toes u p , t h en heels d own ,
t h e r ockin g, t h e forward an d , yes, back—
its measure so awkward, t h e sad dan ce
we each d id , rem em b er, rem em ber?
38
Rem ora
Clin gin g t o t h e shark
is a sucker shark,
at t ach ed to wh ich
an d feedin g off its cru m bs
is one st ill t in ier,
in ch or t wo,
an d on top o f t h at on e,
on e t h e size o f a n ick of gauze;
sm aller an d sm aller
(m or on , id iot , im b ecile, n in com p oop )
u n t il on t op o f t h at
is th e last, a m icr od ot sucker shark,
a filament's t ip —w it h a h eart beat —sliced off,
an d t h e great sea
all arou n d feedin g
his host an d th us h i m .
He's too sm all
to be eaten h im self
(t h ou gh some t h in gs swim
wit h open m ou t h s) so
he just rides alon g i n th e b lu e cu rren t ,
t h e in visible p oin t of th e p yr am id ,
t h e t op ben eat h all else.
39
Nat ion al Im p alem en t Statistics
O n e ou t o f eigh t deaths occu r r in g i n t h e h om e
or on picn ics
is im palem en t -relat ed . Four
t h ou san d an d eleven people die
in h om e accidents in t h e USA each year (on average
over th e past decade), so
t h at means 501.375 people die
of h om e im palem en t s each year.
Two h u n d r ed an d eighty-seven people die on picn ics
each year in th e USA, therefore 35.875 (one does n ot
r ou n d off h u m a n beings!) people die
by im p alem en t
on picn ics, m ost ly by fork, b u t m an y m ore t h an on e m igh t expect
by t oot h p ick, p art icu larly
in th e Nort h east region of t h e cou n t ry.
Th e den ot at ive: sharp object
enters one part of body
an d , som etim es, emerges from an ot h er part of body, oft en ,
t h ou gh n ot always, en d in g in exp irat ion .
O n e loves
the exceptions: he wh o lives wit h t h e shaft of a golf clu b
skewerin g his n eck
an d learns t o walk sideways t h r ou gh doors; she wh o lives
wit h a lo n g sliver of ice, ever u n m e lt in g,
in h er ch est . . . Th e h om e
is a bruised an d b u r n in g place
an d in it lives a wo r m ,
an d t h e p icn ic, t h e p icn ic
is eat in g on t h e gr ou n d
as leopards do
wh en th ey are n ot eat in g i n t h e trees.
40
Asafetida
Th e good , good t h in g for you
as prescribed by an ot h er, bit t er
to t h e taste,
an d , t oo, it stinks
like a n eck after a boot h eel is lift ed ,
for a m o m e n t , from it .
Like an eely
spike in a sinus. A h orse-ch okin g p ill
p u t in a p lu n ger
an d shot d own you r t h roat —it 's good
for yo u , will im p rove you , you n eed it ,
p u t a lit t le h on ey on t h is t in y b o m b
an d take it d o wn , take
it righ t d own .
4i
1
:
r
i74 5 7 P i
m o
Le vi, an Elegy
— for Michael Ryan
I t h ou gh t Jews were just an ot h er d en om in at ion : Episcopalian s,
Met h od ist s, Jews, Cat h olics, Lu t h eran s, etc. I kn ew H it ler h ated
Jews. I kn ow I hated H it ler . I was a ch ild . Th e n am e o f ou r parish
was St. Ph ilip 's. I h ad n o idea wh o St. Ph ilip was. I n con fir m at ion
class I was asked th e n am e o f a Jewish cleric an d I said "a rab b it ." I
liked t o play wit h words. I liked t o read words. I liked t h e soun d o f
words. I n novels an d poem s an d h ist ory books: I liked t o read sentences. I read an d read. I d id oth er t h in gs t oo. Bu t I read h u n dreds
an d h un dreds o f books. Ma n y years passed. O n e day, m y frien d said
to m e: You sh ou ld read t h is book. H e read a lot of books t oo. H e said
h e an d h is wife were readin g your book alou d t o each oth er every
n igh t . Th ey lived deep in t h e cou n t ry, in a farm house o n a red h ill.
Th ey were very broke d u r in g those years. Readin g you r book aloud
to each oth er. W h e n th ey finally got a lit t le m on ey t h ey m oved , an d
m y frien d said h e felt com p elled , as th ey were leavin g t h e house for
t h e last t im e , t o open t h e cabin et ben eat h t h e kit ch en sin k.
W rap p ed arou n d t h e d rain p ip e was a lo n g, t h ick, gray snake t ryin g
to war m h im self. I read your book an d I read it alou d t oo, in m y own
lon ely house — I read it for myself, for m y frien ds, an d for t h at snake,
an d th is is wh y I' m wr it in g t o you n ow, t h ou gh you n o lon ger have
an address, t o t ell you : I read your book. I read you r book.
42
Goofer-Dust
(dirt stolen from an infant's grave around m idnight)
D o n ot try to take it from m y ch ild 's grave, n or
from t h e grave
of m y ch ild h o o d ,
n or from any infant's grave I gu ard —vood oo, ju ju , boo-hoo rites
callin g for it or n ot ! Th is dust, t h is d irt , will n ot
be t aken at dawn or n oon
or at t h e dusky t im e ,
an d i f you approach
th is sacred place near m id n igh t ,
t h en I will ch op ,
one by on e, your fingers off
wit h wh ich you do your h ar m . Goofer-dust: i f you wan t it ,
if you need it , t h en
erect d o wn win d fr om a baby's grave
a fine-meshed n et
an d gather it
on e-h alf grain , a flaky m ot e, an in fin it esim ally sm all fleck
of a flake at a t im e
an d in such a way
it is given t o you
by t h e day, t h e win d , the wo r ld ,
it is given t o you , th ereby
d im in ish in g t h e n eed to steal
th is d irt displaced by a ch ild
in a ch ild's grave.
43
W i t h Maet erlin ck's Great Book,
The Life of the Bee, I beh eaded a bee
staggering on t h e glass
pat io door as I open ed it
to read above book
on above pat io. Th e bee sluggish , first cold
co m in g on . I an gled an d aim ed
t h e book's spine
to detach its h ead,
an d d id so. I h ad fifty or so m ore pages
to read. I was in d ifferen t
to irony's b lu e acid b at h : I d on 't get lost i n
on e-h un dred-year-old books
about bees every day.
All I felt
was a desire t o shake t h e h an d of Ma u r ice Maet er lin ck,
wh o loved these creatures
an d showed it so
in th e ch oice an d order of his words.
44
Ter m in al Lake
Alt h o u gh they kn ow n o oth er waters
an d have n o creat ion m yt h s,
t h e fish d on 't like it h ere: n o way ou t ,
n o river to swim upstream or d own .
Ter m in al Lake squats t h ere,
its belly filled by springs, r ain
an d ice an d snow. It's deep,
Ter m in al Lake, an d n o one's gone to t h e b ot t om
an d com e back u p .
All's b lin d d own t h ere, an d cold .
Fr om above, it's a h uge black co in ,
it's as i f the real lake is d rain ed
an d th is lake is t h e d rain : gapin g, lan guageless, suck- an d sin kh ole.
45
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Na p k in
stands beside t h e kin g
wh en he dines,
a n ap kin h u n g
on his ar m . It was his father's job ,
an d his father's father's. H e stands to t h e r igh t
so he can step forward
an d t u r n t o offer the k in g
his ar m , a n ap kin rack,
from wh ich t h e kin g removes t h e n ap kin ,
dabs his m o u t h ,
an d return s it t o its rack.
Th e kin g is a good k in g,
an d his m an n ers likewise.
Th e n he dies.
Th e n ew k in g is a bad k in g,
so the serfs cu t off his h an ds.
He's a better k in g for it .
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Napkin 's task now?
No t on ly to at t en d t h e n ap kin
b u t also to dab the king's m o u t h .
H is son will have this job .
It's better t h an t h e n ew
positions: t h e Ch ie f Atten dan ts of t h e Kn ife, t h e Fork,
an d the Spoon . Th ey
stand to t h e king's left
an d t wo feet back so t h at t h e k in g
m ay call t h em sin gly
to the t able, or, most often
46
in t h at co m m o n d u o,
Kn ife an d Fork. Spoon , poor Spoon
t h e k in g calls u p fron t , alon e,
for m ilk-sopped bread or gru ely soup.
47
Th e Mo u n t ain s i n t h e River
on th e W ay to t h e Sea
O n ce, th ere were m ore m ou n t ain s, bigger m ou n t ain s.
Th e still-h ere m ou n t ain s were bigger.
Th e Him alayas were four tim es bigger!
Th e n t h e rains cam e,
an d the Jovian W in d s,
an d cold t o crack the r ain ,
an d they t ook some of t h e m ou n t ain s every day
to the rivers, wh ich took t h e m ,
a grain at a t im e , to t h e ocean .
Rain , win d , rivers: th ey do all the work
wh ile t h e ocean waits
wit h its m o u t h open
at the river's m o u t h .
Just as t h e seas on ce rose t o t h e m ou n t ain s,
t h e m ou n t ain s will go again
to t h e et ern al sea's soft bed.
48
Reject W h a t Confuses You
Reject what confuses you,
Outlaw what seduces you,
What did not spring from a pure will,
Into the flames with what threatens you.
— firesong for Nazi book burnings
Most of us wh o m ost of t h e t im e wo u ld n 't be shocked
wo u ld be
if you showed us t h e pict ures i n th is book,
wo u ld be
h orrified an d prefer n ot t o look
an d be adam an t ou r ch ild r en n ot look
b u t also be t oleran t —corn erst on e
for us —an d ad m it t h at t h e artist
can express h erself however she wan ts,
First Am en d m en t , free speech . . . Bu t wh en rem in d ed
we are payin g
t h e artist, even m eagerly, in d ir ect ly (taxes: N EA) , t h en
we t h in k oth erwise: " I am com m ission in g
you , am in fact your collaborat or, so d on 't
say (p ain t , ph ot ograph ) t h at ; I wo u ld n 't ." —Sorry,
I beg to differ, au
contraire! D o n ' t give m on ey
to support t h e arts, taxes or oth erwise.
An d (easy for some t o say) d on 't take any m on ey
before you m ake t h e art.
Ask t h em t o pay after
you give t h e m t h e art ,
n ot before.
Flies So Th ick above t h e Corpses i n
th e Ru b b le, t h e Soldiers Mu st Use
Flam et h rowers to Pass Th r o u gh
An d th e lit t le roasted flies
fall in t o t h e ru in s t oo,
an d m ore flies com e—sh oo fly, sh oo—
u n t il there's n o t h in g for t h em to com e t o
an ym ore, n o t h in g b u t sky, blan ket y-blan k blan k blank sky.
5°
Th e Ice W orm 's Life
is sun -avoidin g, an d by b u rred flanks
th ey wriggle t h r ou gh the glacier
wh ich t h ey'll never leave
n or ever m eet ice worm s of a n eigh b orin g glacier.
To t h em is t h e u n exam in ed life
wor t h livin g? By day
a few yards in / u n d er ice
an d t h en wild n igh t s, wild n igh ts
on t h e glacier's surface
wh ere to t h e m t h e win d brin gs p o llen , fern spores,
an d t h e algae
t h at t in t the b lu e frozen water red . Th e ice worm s gorge,
t h ey gorge, thousands of t h e m ,
in t h e dark, i n the co ld , aspirin g to grow
from on e-t en t h of an in ch
to four-tenths of an in ch .
All n igh t , t h e glacier a lawn
of t h em ben t by t h e win d , an d by dawn
they've gone d own in t o t h e ice to sleep,
to m at e, u n t il it is t im e
to ascend again : ou r refrigerative
fellow creatures, ou r n eighbors
on t h e glacier beside ours
wh o , i f we cou ld in vit e t h e m in t o ou r livin g room s,
wo u ld decom pose
in fifteen m in ut es (t h at soon!)
an d go wh erever t h eir th eology tells t h em th ey m ust go.
5i
Provincia Aurifera
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan d .
It's in t h e trees, beaches of it , it's sand!
You p ick it u p an d p u t it in you r pocket.
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan d .
Look at your gir l in t h e locket
she gave you : gold will be in you r hands.
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan ds,
it's i n t h e trees, beaches o f it , it's sand!
52
I W i l l Please, Said t h e Placebo
O n e h u n d r ed m en have an in exp licab le, harm less,
t h ou gh p ain fu l space, or glob u le, or vacu u m ,
n o bigger t h an a baby pea, smack
in t h e m id d le of t h eir brain s: an an t i-t u m or ,
less t h an b en ign ,
since t h ere is n o place
in wh ich a m align an cy m ay grow.
All these m e n are b rou gh t t o a h osp it al,
lin ed u p , an d cou n t ed off: fifty od d ,
fifty even. Th e n t h e doctors
give t h e exp erim en t al dose t o t h e odds
an d sugar p ills to t h e evens.
Th ey all go h o m e, have d in n er ,
an d take t h eir p ills. Th e doctors said: O n t op
of a fu ll belly, take your p ills. By m o r n in g,
fifty of th e m e n h ad d ied ,
peacefully, i n sweet sleep, i n greeny dreams.
Fift y st ill lived : twenty-five wh o t ook t h e sugar p ill,
twenty-five wh o t ook t h e d ru g.
Autopsies an d CAT scans
on t h e dead an d th e livin g, respectively,
showed n o ch an ge
in t h e size o f t h e em ptin ess, wit h one
except ion : a t a ll, reedy
m an , one o f t h e dead,
whose an om aly
h ad sh ru n k, t h e doctors said,
to t h e size of a BB.
H osp it alit y an d Revenge
You in vit e you r n eigh bor over
for a beer an d a piece o f p ie.
H e says words in appropriat e
about you r Xm as bric-a-brac.
You shoot h i m , th ree t im es, i n th e face.
W h ile you co m p lain t o his first son
re h igh off-wh it e-couch clean in g costs,
h e shoots you i n th e face five t im es.
At your wake, your first son pu m ps eigh t
slugs b eh in d his first son's left ear.
Your wife in vites your n eighbor's wid ow for tea.
54
Fr o m t h e H igh Gr o u n d ,
it's a gran d view o f valley an d farm ,
a lu cid view of steeples an d graveyards,
of all t h e t in y people u p M a i n Street an d d own
Ma p le , o f t h e m id d le an d gram m ar schools t oo.
Fr o m t h e h igh groun d's elevat ion : a lo n g
look at the good boys an d bad , a len gt h y look
at t h e gir l o n t h e swin g
as h er skirt billows.
Th ere's the m a ilm a n wh o reads every let t er.
Th ere's t h e r in g i n its box on a lit t le black p illow.
Th ere's t h e m ilk m a n t akin g too lon g to deliver his m ilk .
Th ere's the librarian 's un dies on the lin e—silk.
Fr om the h igh grou n d all is clear,
in t erp ret able, lu cu len t : this is wh at t h is m eans.
Th e Berchtesgaden view, a dog at your h eel.
Fr om the h igh grou n d (low shrubs
stubbed by t h in win ds)
t h e stony pat h reaches
h igh er st ill, loft ier, t o heaven alm ost,
as it grows n arrower,
an d m ore n arrow.
55
Dyst opia
For shoes: rat skins du ct -t aped arou n d a foot.
Shirts: sacks used to h au l cor n
to H igh Feast Day d in n ers.
Th e same corn's husks
used to p olish t h e boots o f t h e adjut an t s
an d baked in t o bread by t h e ad ju t an t s' adju t an t s.
Th er e are n o ribs wit h o u t elbows i n t h em .
Th er e is n o sh oulder wit h o u t th e breat h o f an ot h er on it .
Co u gh in g carries across seas an d sod.
Th e Dysen tery W ar d fights t h e Typh u s W ar d
for a m elo n r in d wh ich , i n t h e con fu sion ,
is stolen by a leper
wh o silences h is bell's clapper
wit h his t h u m b 's stub.
W h e n t wo love
h ere, an d som etim es t wo do love h ere,
th ey are fam ished for each oth er
b u t too weak t o rise from t h eir pallets o f straw
to kiss. It is by t h eir serene looks
an d on e-eigh t h smiles
t h e grave crews
h on or t h em —p lacin g one first, t h e ot h er secon d,
in a twen ty-person t r en ch .
N o casseroles for th e m ou rn ers.
Th e th ree or fou r r em ain in g haves
are q u ickly eaten by t h e have-nots.
56
Mo n key Bu t t er
Mon key butter's tasty, tasty,
you p u t it i n cookies an d p ie,
you m ix it i n cake, I can 't t ell you a lie:
d on 't be ligh t wit h it , n or hasty
to push it aside. It's n ot t oo sweet,
wit h a ligh t banana-y h u e,
t h e m onkeys all love it ,
an d so will t h e one you call you,
t h e you who's an ot h er you wan t to love you .
Pu t it i n his p u d d in g, in h er pastry puff,
t h en sweep t h e t able of all t h at ot h er stuff.
Lat er, leave a lit t le i n his left, h er righ t , shoe.
57
Breakbon e Fever
O n t h e fem ur a b rick drops h ar d , from t h e t op r ib
to b ot t om a steel
bar slams, on n eck bones an d sku ll, on
Thom as Lu x
A
MARI N ER
B O STO N
BOOK
•
/
H O U GH TO N M I FFLI N
N EW YO R K
CO MP AN Y
T h e Cr a d le Place
Also b y Th o m a s Lu x
The Land Sighted (chapbook)
Mem ory's Handgrenade
1970
1972
The Glassblower's Breath
1976
Versions of Cam pana (chapbook: translations)
Madrigal on the W ay Hom e (chapbook)
Sunday
1977
1977
1979
Like a W ide Anvil from the Moon the Light (chapbook)
Massachusetts (chapbook)
1981
Tarantulas on the Lifebuoy (chapbook)
Half Prom ised Land
1983
1986
The Drowned River 1990
A Boat in the Forest (chapbook)
1992
Pecked to Death by Swans (chapbook)
1993
Split Horizon 1994
The Blind Swim m er: Selected Early Poem s, 19JO-19J5
New and Selected Poem s, 1975-1995 1997
Merry Bones (chapbook) 2001
The Street of Clocks 2001
1
First Ma r in e r Books ed it ion 2005
Cop yr igh t © 2004 by Th om as Lu x
All righ ts reserved
For in fo r m a t io n ab ou t perm ission t o reprod u ce selections fr om t h is book,
writ e to Perm issions, H o u gh t o n M ifflin Com p an y, 215 Park Aven ue Sou t h ,
Ne w York, Ne w York 10003.
Visit our W eb site: www.h ou gh t on m ifflin b ooks.com .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Lu x, Th om as, date.
Th e crad le place / Th om as Lu x
p.
cm .
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-42830-4 ISBN-IO : 0-618-42830-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-61944-3 (p b k.) ISBN-IO : 0-618-61944-5 (p b k.)
I. Tit le .
PS3562.U87C73 2004
8 ll' .54 — dc22
2O O 30 6 7554
Book design by Melissa Lot fy
Prin t ed in t h e Un it e d States o f Am er ica
MP 10
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Man y of the poems in this book first appeared, sometimes in slightly different form , in
the followin g magazines:
Am erican Poetry Review: The Devil's Beef Tub; Debate Regarding the Perm issibility of
Eating Merm aids; Burned Forests and Horses' Bones; Dry Bite; Can't Sleep the Clowns
W ill Eat Me; Letter to W alt W hitm an from a Soldier He Nursed in Arm ory Square
Hospital, W ashington, D.C., 1866; Can Tie Shoes But W on't; Goofer-Dust; Term inal Lake;
Monkey Butter; Three Vials of Maggots; Render, Render; Portrait of X [III]; Rem ora.
Atlan tic Mon t h ly: The Gletz (under the title The Diam ond Cutter). Canary River: W ith
Maeterlinck's Great Book. 88: Guide for the Perpetually Perplexed. Field : Uncle Dung
Beetle; Myope; To Help the Monkey Cross the River; Flies So Thick above the Corpses in
the Rubble, the Soldiers Must Use Flam ethrowers to Pass Through. Five Points: Breakbone
Fever. Greensboro Review: Rather. Gu lf Coast: Ten Years Hard Labor on a Guano Island;
Scorpions Everywhere. Kenyon Review: The Magm a Cham ber. Lu m in a: The Ice W orm 's
Life. MARGIE: From the High Ground; To Plow and Plant the Seashore. New Delt a
Review: Dystopia. Passages Nort h : Reject W hat Confuses You. Pedestal: Thus, He Spoke
His Quietus; National Im palem ent Statistics. Rialto ( UK) : The Chief Attendant of the
Napkin; If One Can Be Seen. San Diego Reader: The Professor of Ants; 174517: Prim o
Levi, an Elegy. W illo w Springs: Birds Nailed to Trees; Boatloads of Mum m ies; The Late
Am bassadorial Light; Say You're Breathing.
The Am erican Fancy Rat and Mouse Association was first published by Fameorshamepress as a lim it ed-edit ion broadside.
Special thanks to Mary Corn ish , Ar ju n Shetty, and Gin ger Mu rch ison .
for m y blood: Elinor, m y m other,
Norm an, m y father,
and Claudia, m y daughter
M o m came and wen t —an d came, and brough t no day.
— B YR O N
I want the old rage, the lash of prim ordial m ilk!
—TH EO D O RE
RO ETH KE
Con t en t s
I
Th e Late Am bassadorial Ligh t 3
Say You're Breat h in g 4
Dr y Bit e 5
Horse Bleed in g to Deat h at Fu ll Gallop
6
Debat e Regardin g t h e Perm issibilit y o f Eat in g Merm aid s
7
Th e Professor o f An t s 8
Tact ile
9
Ten Years H ar d Labor on a Gu an o Islan d
Fam ily Ph ot o Ar o u n d Xm as Tree
Rather
10
11
12
Portrait of X [III]
13
Th r ee Vials of Maggots
Un cle D u n g Beetle
T h e Gl e t z
14
15
16
Ca n Tie Shoes Bu t W o n 't
17
Th e Am er ican Fancy Rat an d Mou se Association
To H e lp th e Mo n key Cross t h e River
Th e Devil's Beef Tu b
19
20
Boatloads o f M u m m ie s
21
Th u s, H e Spoke H is Q u iet u s
Th e Magn a Ch am b er
18
22
23
Birds Nailed to Trees 24
II
Gu id e for t h e Perpetually Perplexed
If O n e Ca n Be Seen
27
28
Th e Year t h e Locu st H a t h Eat en
29
ix
Bu rn ed Forests an d Horses' Bones
30
Let t er t o W a lt W h it m a n from a Soldier H e Nu rsed i n
Ar m or y Square H osp it al, W ash in gt on , D .C., 1866
Scorpion s Everywh ere
Myop e
32
33
34
III
To Plow an d Plan t t h e Seashore
Am p h r ib r ach Dan ce
Rem ora
38
39
Nat ion al Im p alem en t Statistics
Asafetida
37
40
41
r745r7: Prim o Levi, an Elegy 42
Goofer-Dust
43
W i t h Maet erlin ck's Great Book
Ter m in al Lake
44
45
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Na p k in
46
Th e Mo u n t ain s in t h e River on t h e W ay t o t h e Sea
Reject W h a t Confuses You
48
49
Flies So T h i c k above t h e Corpses i n t h e Ru b b le, t h e
Soldiers Mu st Use Flam et h rowers to Pass Th r o u gh
Th e Ice W orm 's Life
51
52
Provincia Aurifera
I W i l l Please, Said the Placebo
H ospit alit y an d Revenge
Fr om t h e H igh Gr o u n d
Dystopia
53
54
55
56
Mon key Bu t t er
Breakbon e Fever
57
58
Can 't Sleep t h e Clown s W i l l Eat M e
Ren der, Ren der
X
60
59
50
T h e Cr a d le Place
I
Th e Late Am bassadorial Ligh t
Ligh t reaches t h r ou gh a leaf
an d t h at ligh t , d im in ish ed , passes t h r ou gh
an ot h er leaf,
an d an ot h er, d own
to t h e lawn ben eat h .
Gr een , green , t h e h igh grass shivers.
W at er over a stone, an d bees,
bees arou n d t h e flowers, deep-tiered beds
of t h e m , yellows an d golds an d reds.
Saw-blade ferns feather i n t h e breeze.
An d , just as a cloud's corn er
catches th e su n , a t in y glin t in t h e garden —t h e m ilk
o f a broken stalk? A lion 's tooth ?
O r m igh t t h at be t h e delicat e labia
of an orch id?
3
Say You're Breat h in g
just as you do every day, in an d ou t , in an d ou t , an d in each
breat h : one t ick
of a shavin g from a bat's eyelash, an in visible sliver
of a body m it e
wh o lived near Caligula's sh in , d iam on d dust (we each in h ale a carat
in a lifet im e), a speck o f scu rf
from t h e Th i r d Dynasty (t h at of t h e abu n d an t
im beciles), one sulfurous grain
from th e smoke of a m ort ar r o u n d , a m ot e of m arrow
from a bon e p okin g t h r ou gh a sh allow grave,
a wh iff from a m u m m y grin d er
caugh t i n a Sahara win d , m ost of t h e Sahara itself,
in h aled i n Gr een lan d , sweat d ried t o crystal on you r father's lip
an d lift ed t o t h e sky
before you were b orn —a ll, a ll, a galaxy
of fragments floating
arou n d you every day,
in h aled every day,
happy to rest i n your lun gs
u n t il th ey are dust again
an d again risen .
4
Dry Bit e
W h e n th e krait strikes b u t does n ot loose
h is ven om : dry b it e. W h a t makes th e snake choose
n ot to k ill you? N o t Please,
n ot J didn't m ean
to step on you. H e may be fresh ou t : struck
recen t ly som et h in g else. Bu t : i f he wit h h old s
his poison ,
wh en does h e do so an d why?
Ca n h e t ell you are harmless t o h im ?
H e can 't swallow you , so wh y k ill you?
Th ere's n o use asking t h e krait : he's deaf.
In t h at ch em ical, t h at sp lit -b illion t h
of a secon d, h e decides
an d t h e lit t le valve
of h is ven om sac
stays shut or opens wid e.
Dry, oh dry, dry b it e—lu cky t h e day
you began t o wear
the krait's snake-eyed m ark
on your wrist
an d you walked d own t h e m o u n t a in
in t o t h e valley
of t h at wh ich rem ain s o f you r life.
5
Horse Bleed in g to Deat h at Fu ll Gallo p
(La Florida, 1540)
Four arrows i n h i m , wait , five,
on e so deep its feathers lie
ben eat h his coat. H is rider's dead,
fallen off, eleven arrows in his n eck
bet ween h elm et an d breastplate,
a blood y, spiky collar. W it h o u t th e weigh t
of th e rid er, his lan ce, spurs, th e horse st ill
ru n s, runs wh ip -b lin d , over t h e green h ills
u n t il h e reaches th e wh ite-san d shore
and he can r u n or walk n o m ore.
6
Debate Regardin g t h e Perm issibilit y
of Eat in g Mer m aid s
Cold-wat er m erm aid s, an d on ly on Fridays, said Pope Ign ace VI I .
Su m erian texts suggest con sen t i f h u m a n parts
predecease fishy parts,
b u t cu n eifor m d et ailin g t h is
was lost to t o m b robbers.
Th e Brit ish Ad m iralt y, sixt een t h cen t u ry, deem ed it an t h ropoph agy
an d forbade it ,
t h ou gh castaways, after sixty days,
were exem pt ed
u p o n t h e d ep let ion of sea biscuit s. Taboo! Taboo!, said t h e Sou t h Sea
Islanders, t h ou gh a m an co u ld m arry one
if his aquatic skills
impressed h er en ou gh . Con versely, a wo m an , n o m at t er
h ow well she swam ,
co u ld n ot m arry wit h a m er m an . Uruguayan s, Iowan s,
leave n o records on th e subject.
Th e Germ an s find it distasteful,
t h ou gh recen t ly declassified W o r ld W ar I I archives
suggest cert ain U-boat c a p t a i n s . . .
N o p r ob lem for t h e Fren ch : flambeed or ben eat h bearnaise.
Th e official Ch in ese p osit ion is th ey d on 't have a p osit ion !
—Bu t I grow weary of t h is d ou r study,
t ired o f th e books
wh erein th is news is h id d e n , t h e creakin g shelves
in m u seu m basements, th e cr u m b lin g pages
of t h e past an d fu t u re, I' m t ired
of t h is foggy research
to wh ich I've devoted decades
t ryin g t o find t h e t r u t h i n these matters
an d wh at m atters in such t r u t h .
7
Th e Professor o f An ts
For his wh ole life ants were t h e life o f t h e Professor o f An t s. O n his
belly, on his h an ds, knees, above t h e wor ld o f ants: wh ich colon y
forages wh ere, wh e n , wh at ; wh ich tribes cooperate wit h ot h er t ribes,
wh ich t ribe attacks th e sm aller tribes. Al l day, t h e sun h a m m er in g
h is shoulders an d n eck above t h e wo r ld of ants. Som e days h e gives
t h em shade t h ey d id n ot kn ow before. H e recognizes m an y by t h eir
marks or m issin g legs. Th e Professor's got his pen an d clip b oard ou t ,
season after field season. Th er e go t h e leaf cutters, off to work, 6:45
A.M ., to shear t h eir sails of green . Th e harvesters carry t in y sacks of
seeds to sow an d lit t le hoes to weed t h eir rows of fu n gi. An d , from a
large colon y, st art in g ou t on t h eir t h rice-yearly slave-m akin g raids,
t h e san guin e ants. W h e n t h e sanguines are away—the Professor has
n ot ed , an d t wice p u b lish ed , th is fact—som etim es a gold en -h aired
beetle (Hylurgus ligniperda) moves in t o t h eir nest, an d wh en t h e
sanguines ret u rn (carryin g t h eir slaves!) t h e beetle secretes a d r in k
t h at makes th e slavers h er slaves, an d t h e n ew slaves o f th e slavers
h er slaves as well. Th e sanguines n eed t h e slaves to groom t h eir
eggs. Th e beetle needs t h e ants to feed h er an d hers. Th e ants d on 't
n eed th e beetle at all. Th e Professor needs t h e ants t o feed h i m an d
h is. Back at t h e lab , at t h e ch alkb oard , h e wishes n ot t o feel wh at
th ey feel wit h t h eir feelers.
8
Tact ile
O n e eyelash, on e
m illim et er
lon ger t h an each ot h er eyelash on you r left eyelid , bends
at its t ip , as it , alon e, leans
on m y lowest left rib's ledge, t h is single filament
h o ld in g your bones
to m in e . A t ou ch o f n o t o u ch , a t ou ch
so ligh t the t act ile scale's
n eedle barely breathes. Th e n ,
at t ach ed to a h u m a n as it is,
th is one eyelash
lashes m e t h ere, m an y t im es,
an d t on igh t t h e t in y scars sh in e
in t h e blue-stone dark.
9
Ten Years H ar d Lab or on a Gu an o Islan d ,
said H is H on or , h an d in g you a p ick
an d a shovel
an d a t icket
for a boat rid e here
wh ere t h e shovel is ch ain ed
to your righ t wrist
an d to t h e left, a bucket .
Th e pick yo u 'll wear strapped to you r back
u n t il it's t im e to pick wit h it .
You 'll d ig, for a decade, d own
t h rou gh t h e strata t h e seabirds left over eons
an d , one by on e, h au l t h e bucketfuls
to the dockside piles.
Th e birds stopped h ere to rest awh ile,
t h e roam in g, t h e landless,
t h e lon g-distan ce birds on protracted win gs.
O n days, wor kin g t h e cliffs, wh en you can overlook
t h e sea, you m igh t see—a foot
or two above t h e waves,
as you m in e his ancestors' gu t s—you m igh t st ill see on e.
10
Fam ily Ph ot o Ar o u n d Xm as Tree
Dad's left ar m reaches across Mo m 's back
an d even across Dom e's, h is daugh ter's,
an d just touch es wit h his fin gert ips
his son Rusty's sh oulder.
Dot t ie's t en , Rusty eigh t , t h ou gh sm all for h is age
an d his left eye a lit t le lazy.
Th e tree t h ick
wit h foil an d ligh t s, lit candles an d a m an t el h u n g
wit h m on ogr am m ed socks. Rein deer race
across Dad's sweater. I f you lift
th is p ict u re t o you r nose, you sm ell cider
an d snow, Mo m 's valley-of-th e-lily
perfu m e. Th e fire's
p in e knots snap. O h bless th is fam ily
an d t h eir d og, Ch ocolat e,
bless th is house an d h ear t h ,
an d bless Gr am m y, wh o will be here soon ,
t h ou gh Gran d pa won 't
th is year, n or dear Au n t Elsie, dear, dear Au n t .
Th e b ig b lu e b owl o f crabm eat salad she b rou gh t
each year d it t o won 't be h ere. Bless
th is fam ily, t h e livin g an d t h e dead,
an d m ay t h ey never send a card
or newsletter to m e again .
11
Rather
Rath er strapped face to face wit h a corpse, rather an asp
forced d own m y t h roat , rath er a glass
t u be in serted i n m y u ret h ra
an d t h en m em ber smashed
wit h a h am m er , rather wan der t h e m alls o f Am erica sh oppin g
for shoes, rather
be lu n c h , fr om the ankles d own ,
for a fish, rather m istake rabbit drops
for capers, or pearls, rath er m y father's bones crush ed to dust
an d b lown —b lin d in g m e — i n m y eyes,
rather a flash flood o f liq u id m u d ,
bou lders, bran ch es, d rown ed dogs, tear t h r ou gh Boys Town
an d gr in d u p a t h ousan d orph an s, rath er
finger puppets
wit h ice picks
probe m e, rather n um bn ess, rather Malaysian t on gu e wo r m , rather ru e,
rather a starved rat
t ied by his t ail t o m y last t oot h ,
rather m em ory becom e m u sh ,
rather n o m ore books be writ t en b u t on t h e sole subject of self, rather
a ret in al t at t oo, rather buckets of bad b a cilli an d n o t h in g else
to d r in k, rather t h e blat h er
at an En glish Dep ar t m en t m eet in g, rath er
a m o u n t a in fall on m y h ead t h an t h is,
wh at I p u t d own h ere, rather
all o f the above t h an t h is, t h is:
12
.
Portrait of X [ III]
Pu r b lin d , he rose, shot his cuffs, an d h it
th e door, a gangster
b u t gangless, dead in the h eart , dead
in th e rat-black r u m d u m red u n d an t h eart , lost
to th is wor ld an d n ot RSVPin g
invites to th e next.
Is th is th e one wh o wou ld lead us to a n ew aesthetic?
Is th is th e on e, fragile, m o r ib u n d , afraid,
wh o will lead th e fragile, m o r ib u n d , an d afraid?
Is th is th e New Tr u t h messenger,
th e one wh o will defin e
th e New Politics
or t h e New Poetics
wit h th e O ld O bliqu e?
H is famous sneer eats his gu t like a wo r m .
J3
Th r ee Vials o f Maggots
were collect ed from t h e corpse
fou n d lyin g in a field
n ear a sm all stream . Fr o m these t h e lab can t ell
at wh at t im e t h e dead on e d ied .
Th ey have schedules, t h e flies.
Som e lay eggs
wh ich h at ch t o maggots
wh ich con su m e t h e corpse. O t h ers com e t o eat flies, maggots, eggs.
H id e beetles arrive t o clean t h e grist le.
It's an ord erly arran gem en t .
W h a t t h e maggots do
th ey do for yo u .
Un cle D u n g Beetle
H a il, Un cle D u n g Beet le!, he wh o
wherever dung m eets dirt, wh ich is everywh ere, is ou r sweet savior,
wit h o u t wh o m
each o f us on t h e plan et u p t o ou r necks
in two-day-old—crusty o n t h e out side,
soft i n t h e m id d le —cow pies,
wit h o u t wh o m
t h e gloom y sten ch
of earth everywhere infused gloom ier,
wit h o u t wh o m
t h e worm s cou ld n ot carry t h eir b u r d en alon e,
wit h o u t wh o m t h e earth
receives less n it rogen
an d m ore bacteria eat t h eir way t h r ou gh in testin es,
wit h o u t wh o m n o breat h t akin g
specializations: t h e d u n g beetle wh o lives
in a sloth's r u m p fur and leaps off to rid e
his host's droppin gs to t h e gr ou n d , a jarred
b u t in st an t claim an t ,
wit h o u t wh o m
we wo u ld be swallowin g shovelfuls of flies each day,
wit h o u t wh o m
on ly in heaven
(an d t h en on ly after all t h e dead are evicted!)
wo u ld it be possible to live.
15
Th e Glet z
Th r o u gh t h e lou pe or peepstone it's t h ere: a m in id ot of air,
an d wh en ligh t shines t h rou gh
t h e object , t h e gletz is visible via m icroscope, x-ray scope.
It's a flaw, d im in ish in g
an object : wh en ligh t ,
u n im p ed ed ,
passes t h r ou gh it
t h e object's b r illian ce
is m ost b r illian t . A gletz affects
clarit y, affects m erit .
It's best i f n o gletz can be fou n d at a ll.
Th e gletz's place m atters: h igh er u p , bad news;
lower, less-bad news.
Th ey in d icat e fragilit y,
these breathless, cell-sized cells
wh ere t wo in m ates are locked
an d each has a kn ife.
16
Can Tie Shoes b u t W o n 't ,
— for Brendan Constantine
it said on his report card , five years o ld , t h e boy
so slu n g
against th e river's cu rren t he was later lost
in h is paper can oe, paddled
h im self lost, or h a lf lost, or less lost t h an m ost , n ot
in t h e m id river flot illa wit h all t h e ot h er boats
figh t in g th e m ain an d ch u r n in g cu r r en t ,
b u t instead alon g an d beside an d even u n d er
t h e river's ban ks—t h e place of overhangs
an d eddies, sloughs
an d wh ir lp ools, th e shaded
place ben eath t h e bu g-brailled leaves,
t h e pyt h on -laden bran ch es, t h e place
ben eath th e bank's cool clay, bet ween t h e roots,
wh ere th e t oot h y creatures
cache t h eir prey
for later. D i d h e travel always
on one side of t h e river? N o .
H ow d id he cross to th e ot h er side? Carefu lly,
cu t t in g th e cu rren t wit h o u t fighting it ,
givin g u p some distance t o it , in order t h at ,
just so,
t h e shade, t h e ligh t , th e sligh t u n d u lat ion s of t h e river's ben ds, are ch an ged,
with intention,
an d for years, u pst ream , a lifet im e,
th is way, upstream h e goes,
th is way, upst ream ,
on h is voyage.
17
Th e Am er ican Fan cy Rat an d
Mou se Association
Rat breeders gather
to p r im p an d parade t h eir best—th e ch in ch illa rat ,
silks, t h e Mo lu cca n cream b elly—at t h is dog show
for m ice an d rats wh ere, i f en tered a cat,
th ere wo u ld be n o cr own in g
th is year of Rat o f t h e Year, Mou se o f t h e Decade.
Th e judge cradles a q u akin g con testan t i n her p a lm .
Reput at ion s m ade or b r oken , breed in g secrets, b u ild
a better can cer rat an d you r prid e can t u r n to cash, pack
an oth er gram o f fat
on t h e t h igh s o f a m ouse
an d th is news shivers u p an d d own t h e row
of herpetologists here for t h e show.
Th e n , in an ot h er, a back row,
sit those whose interests lie in mouse an d rat aesthetics
rather t h an i n t h eir beh avior
or m arket p ot en t ial — O h t h e b eau t ifu l,
beau t ifu l rats, they sigh , oh t h e b eau t ifu l rats.
18
To H e lp t h e Mo n key Cross t h e River,
wh ich h e m ust
cross, by swim m in g, for fruits an d n uts,
to h elp h i m
I sit wit h m y rifle on a p lat form
h igh i n a tree, same side o f t h e river
as t h e h u n gry m on key. H o w does th is assist
h im ? W h e n h e swims for it
I look first u priver: predators m ove faster wit h
t h e cu rren t t h an against it .
If a crocod ile is aim ed from u priver t o eat t h e m on key
an d an an acon da from d own river burn s
wit h t h e same a m b it io n , I do
t h e m at h , algebra, angles, rate-of-monkey,
croc- an d snake-speed, an d if, if
it looks as t h ou gh t h e an acon da or t h e croc
will reach t h e m on key
before h e attain s t h e river's far ban k,
I raise m y rifle an d fire
on e, t wo, t h ree, even four t im es in t o t h e river
just b eh in d t h e m on key
to h u r r y h i m u p a lit t le.
Sh oot t h e snake, t h e crocodile?
Th ey're just d oin g t h eir jobs,
b u t t h e m on key, t h e m on key
has lit t le hands like a ch ild 's,
an d t h e sm art ones, i n a cage, can be t au gh t t o sm ile.
!9
Th e Devil's Beef Tu b
Th er e are m yst eries—wh y a duck's quack
doesn't ech o an ywh ere
an d : Does Go d exist ?—wh ich
will rem ain always as mysteries. So
the same wit h cert ain abstracts
align ed wit h sensory life: t h e t act ile,
for exam ple, o f an iron bar
to th e foreh ead. Mu r d e r
is abstract, an ir on bar t o t h e sku ll
is n ot . O h lost
an d from t h e win d n ot a sin gle peep o f grief!
O n e day you're walkin g d own th e street
an d a m an wit h a m achete-shaped shard
of glass (its h ilt
wrapped in a blood y t owel) walks t oward yo u ,
purposefully, on a m ission .
D o you stop to discuss h erm en eu t ics wit h h im ?
D o you engage h i m in a discussion abou t Derrida?
D o you worry t h at Der r id a m igh t be t h e cause o f his rage?
Every day is like t h is,
is a m et ap h or or a sim ile: like op en in g a can
of alph abet soup
an d seeing n o t h in g b u t X's, n o , look
closer: lit t le n ood le
swastikas.
20
Boatloads o f Mu m m ie s
em barked from Egypt t o New Jersey i n 1848.
Boatloads o f m u m m ies by sail
sold t o a p u lp m ill
to m ake in t o paper.
W h i c h ven t ure (on e tries to t h in k
wh at th e investors t h ou gh t ) d id n 't
work ou t : t h e station ery resu lt in g
was gray
an d gritty
an d h eld n ot t h e black depths of in k.
O n e wonders wh ere th e r em ain in g m u m m ies wen t .
A few were gr ou n d t o powder
an d p u t in jars, an d t h en on shelves of rem edies,
b u t all t h e rest, t h ree or four h old fu ls,
wh ere d id th ey go
wh en t h e vision o f capit al failed
(as visions d o, m ore often
t h an they d o n 't ), wh ere d id
t h e r em ain in g m u m m ifie d go?
21
Th u s, H e Spoke H is Q u iet u s,
— for Larry Levis (1946-1996)
Larry d id , wit h his book Elegy, his elegy, his last
lon g r o llin g lin es of sadness, o f un sobbed sobs,
of his im m en se wrecked h eart ,
his finishing stroke,
his last h ard dig
of t h e paddle before lift in g it
from t h e wat er, an d h is can oe, on t h e silen t straight lin e
cu t by its keel,
beaches it self
on t h e sandy, t h e ligh t ed , t h e silt -lapped, t h e ot h er, shore.
22
Th e Magm a Ch am b er
H ere it boils an d begins t o b u ild , deep in t h e core,
wh at will be lava, m olt en
rock, i n great d om ed cathedrals o f rage u n d er gr ou n d
even t ually expelled —t o air,
and lan d . Som etim es
the m agm a —feedin g u p in t o t h e spreading rift
to fill t h e cracks
bet ween th e separating plates —heals. Som etim es
it needs a way ou t
and finds it —b an g! —an d slow, remorseless rivers
of liq u id rock, red rivers
of rock, find t h eir way
to t h e sea—t h rou gh houses an d horses,
over beet fields an d p u t t in g greens, over h ospitals, eat in g
t h r o u gh , wit h fire,
an yt h in g t h at wants t o stay i n its place
and just go on bein g. Th e orb
is h ot in sid e, h u r t ,
wh ich is bad for those wh o gauge
and receive its rage.
N o t h in g can stop it
bu t t h e sea
wh ich boils wh ere it enters, n o t h in g
b u t t h e sea is vast an d deep
and cold en ou gh
to take all th is p ou red fury, n o t h in g
b u t t h e sea ( if it so pleases)
can m ake a n ew islan d , n ew m ou n t ain s,
a n ew rep u b lic of h ope.
2
3
Birds Nailed to Trees
So the bird s, t h r ou gh
t h eir bon y yellow toes, are tacked
to branches
an d look as i f t h ey ch ir p , an d ch ir p we ll, in d eed .
A b ir d on t h e gr ou n d
tugs a wo r m fr om its h ole, a m et aph or
for in dust ry an d joy. H er p lu m p t ail tilts
to t h e task. Th e wo r m h olds on
by a h ook in its gut .
Th ere's a nest in the t ableau t oo,
an d three eggs, pastel b lu e
an d glu ed
together. Mo t h e r , m ot h er b ir d , on nest's edge,
huffs h er belly feathers
an d prepares to sit u p on her h ollow eggs.
A red b ir d curves
overh ead, h is dive h alt ed —t h ou gh perpet u al—by on e
win g p in n ed to a leaf
an d a wire
st run g from his beak
to the black corners o f t h is box
of birds, Our friends who fly,
as they live today in your backyard.
An d lookit over t h ere: a cat sm ackin g his eyes.
An d the boy by t h e barn p u m p in g his p ellet gu n h ard .
24
II
(ot h er voices)
Gu id e for t h e Perpetually Perplexed
D o n ' t h u r t you r b r ain o n t h is: i f th e arrow poin ts left,
it's left you sh ou ld go. Th e n
take your first righ t ,
t h en t h e n ext righ t ,
again t h e n ext righ t , t h en an ot h er
righ t . I f you h ead-on a cem en t t r u ck,
it is as it sh ou ld be. Too m u ch
perplexit y an d soon everyone's head
is a revolvin g h ologram o f a question m ark!
In stead: i f t h e sign says USE YO U R W O RD S,
t h en use you r words,
in th is order: subject , verb, object .
In stead: i f t h e sign says SH U T T H E FU CK U P ,
t h en you sh ou ld sh ut th e fuck u p .
If it comes over th e in t er com t o get i n lin e ,
for gosh sakes, t h en get in lin e , you r win gbon es
to t h e wall an d eyes forward.
D o n o t h in g to fu rt h er perplex t h e ot h er perplexed.
W e 'll let you kn ow wh en it's sin gle file for lu n c h ,
wh ere it's first you r placemats o f puzzles
an d im possible dots t o discon n ect
followed by you r beans, an d you r b r own m eat , gray,
over wh ich yo u 'll pray, o h yes, yo u 'll pray,
if you d on 't wan t us t o break you r n eck.
2
7
I f O n e Can Be Seen
If one can be seen, how can one see?,
t h e O n e Afraid to Be Seen said
in m y office
on a late February aft ern oon .
Th e gold seals on m y diplom as leach ed
to yellow i n t h e weak
ligh t . I loat h e Februarys.
Th e O n e Afraid t o Be Seen
wore a p u p p et theater on his h ead.
I t ried to answer his qu est ion .
Looking outward
while being looked at
need not stop you from going forth
into the world, I offered.
Th er e was a cord
t h at th e O n e Afraid to Be Seen
cou ld p u ll to open t h e cu rt ain s on his face.
H e m oved as i f to p u ll t h e cord
b u t d id n 't , t h en again
reached for it
an d open ed t h e cu rt ain s a shiver, t h en closed t h e m again ,
an d again raised a h an d as i f
to open . . . an d I whack-sm acked
t h e pu ppet theater off h is h ead
wit h a lon g, lo o p in g, kn uckle-dust ed backh an d slap
I learn ed in n ot one of t h e best schools (b u t n ot a bad
one eit h er) in m y profession
an d its appoin t ed tasks.
28
Th e Year t h e Locu st H a t h Eat en
Th ey ch ewed m y lawn d own to sand
an d t h en polish ed
each facet of each sand grain
wit h t h eir relentless win gs an d t h en
were u p an d off again , a h uge b a ll,
a t orn ad o, a rack-clackin g
win d of t h em .
Th ey ate th e sheep o f all b u t t h eir wool.
Th ey ate t h e trees' leaves, t h en t h e twigs, t h en th e bran ch es,
t h en t h e t ru n ks,
t h en sent ou t sappers
for t h e roots. Th ey gnawed fence posts
leavin g parallel rows
of barbed wire
across bald fields.
Th ey took d own t h e haystacks
an d fou n d n o needles.
Th ey left t h e b ookm ob ile
tireless an d wit h b u t one book u n eat en : (in sert odious book
of you r ch oice).
Th ey con su m ed th e letters in t h e at t ic,
all t h e letters from sea t o lan d
an d lan d t o sea,
all t h e letters o f fun eral an d woo.
Gran dm a's wed d in g dress—leaving a wreck
o f pearl bu t t on s—t h ey devoured.
Th ey bu zz-cu t t h e attic
an d its sawdust sifted d own
to t h e second floor—which was wh en I fled
an d left b eh in d t h e b it t en lan d an d t h e year
t h e locust h at h eaten.
29
Bu r n ed Forests an d Horses' Bones
are all we see wh en we cross th e river
to this lan d . Two or t h ree days, we guess, since t h e fire
reach ed th is shore
an d wen t to sleep.
Th is is wh ere it st opped,
n ot wh ere it started.
W h y d id n 't it leap th is n arrow river?
We see b u t wisps, locally, o f sm oke.
We can 't go back t h e way we cam e.
Before we crossed
to this scorch ed shore, we kn ew: we can 't
go back wh en ce we cam e.
Th e t rail is ch arred wit h drifts of ash,
b u t passable. We are n in e m e n , t h ree wo m e n , seven ch ild r en ,
t h ree m u les—t wo p u llin g carts; t h e t h ir d , a pack
on its back—on e d og, on e d u ck.
We see n o t h in g
b u t th e b u r n ed bones
of horses, n o t for m iles, n ot h in g n ot gray or black.
Because his whiteness (t h ou gh goin g
a grim y gray) offends us, we'll eat t h e d u ck.
Th r ee m ore days we travel am id sm old erin g stum ps,
crossing sooty streams, n o sounds b u t t h e screech
ou r feet m ake oh th e black
an d squeaky gr ou n d .
At n igh t t h ere is n o wood wit h wh ich t o b u ild a cookin g fire.
Tom orrow we'll hack u p an arm oire
an d k ill an d roast th e d og.
N o t on e o f th e ch ild r en will cry.
3°
W e have t h ree m ules yet, t wo carts.
W e have one m ission : t o arrive
wh ere th e fire started
an d pass over it t o t h e place before t h e fire began.
3
1
Let t er to W alt W h it m a n from a Soldier
H e Nu rsed i n Ar m or y Square H osp it al,
W ash in gt on , D .C., 1866
dear W alt , k in d u n cle, its near two years since I left Arm ory Sq.
& I'm h om e n ow. Th e corn grew good this su m m er an d we
bou gh t 2 cows. M y leg ain 't righ t st ill b u t it's st ill m y leg. W h e n
you p r om m iced they wo u ld n 't take it was the first t im e after t h e
grapeshot I d id n 't wan t to go to the wor ld wh ere th ere is n o
p art in g. Dear Un cle, we have h ad a son born ed & we call h i m
W alt er W h it m a n W illis, he is well & Br igh t as a d ollar. Yrs
Affection ately, Bill W illis
3
2
Scorpion s Everywh ere
Th er e goes on e disguised as a m ouse!
An d those gray fellows, bushy t ails,
wh o ju m p from tree to roof to fence.
W at ch t h eir eyes as t h ey wat ch you
wh ile t h ey eat t h eir nuts. Th ey
are everywhere n ow
an d , t oo, t h eir cousin s, t h e wh it e-t ailed browsers (Bam b i
is a baby o f t h eir species' n am e) wh o eat
ou r suburb's shrubs an d herbs;
an d those t h at p u r r ,
an d those m out h -breat h ers, d r oolin g woofers,
an d t h e ones wit h ban d it eyes wh o trash
t h e t rash —all
of these creatures (an d , t oo, t h eir spawn) are n ot
as t h ey seem.
D o n ot m ore an d m ore of t h e m m ove closer an d closer?
D o you look o u t t h e win d ow an d see two?
D o you t u r n away, t u r n back, see three?
D o you hear t h e lit t le brot h er of t h e wo lf
h o wlin g from t h e m arsh near t h e golf
course, th e 8t h tee? H e
leads t h e m a ll, qu ick, cu n n in g, an d assisted
by his m in ist er, a gn at.
Each is, in fact —t h is is certain — a scorpion
an d h olds a p h ial o f ven om
u n t il t h e t im e it's t im e to in ject i n you !
O h h h h —o n t h e day th e win d is wrecked ,
o n t h e day t h e sky breaks,
on th e day th e sea creeps u n d er a rock!
33
Myop e
Th e boy can 't see b u t what's righ t in fron t o f h i m .
Ask h i m about t h at clock
across t h e r o o m , he can 't see it , or h e d on 't
care. H e makes a p ict u re o f a m ou n t ain —h e's lo o kin g
at th e m o u n t a in !—a n d it comes ou t fuzzy
an d he puts i n cliffs an d fizzers
t h at ain 't t h ere. Sit an apple d own
o n t h e t able an d h e can draw it i n p e n cil, i n color, on ce so r igh t
I alm ost took a bit e.
An d he's got a nose on h i m like a h o u n d .
H is daddy says he can sniff a rat i n a freezer.
A set o f ears, t oo: he says h e hears
his baby brot h er cryin g
an d I can get to h i m
just as he opens his m o u t h t o wail
an d in m y arms it's righ t to sleep again .
Th a t com es i n h an dy, som etim es. Som etim es
a baby's got to cry.
Th e boy's a b it od d .
H e likes books a lot .
O n a h ot su m m er even in g,
I swear, he's readin g on t h e p orch
an d th e t u r n in g pages m ake a breeze.
34
To Plow an d Plan t t h e Seashore
H is tractor rattles d own t h e dun es: low t id e, it's t im e to p low
t h e seashore an d t h en follow
wit h t h e finer h arrow
blades to com b
th is r ich earth sm ooth er. Th e bits of sh ell an d weed
will con t rib u t e to t h e harvest.
He's n ot been farm in g lon g—see: he has all his fingers
to t h eir tips. N o , he's n ot been farm in g
lon g. No w his field is ready
an d it's t im e to plan t his seeds
in earth t h rou gh wh ich he p u lled his farmer's tools.
Th is year, it's corn : he loves t h e lit t le yellow crown s.
Yes, th is year it's co r n , the farm er t h in ks,
last year the soybeans d id n 't take
an d t h e yield was: m in us-bean s, i.e., t h e seed beans, t oo, were gon e.
Co r n will love th is r ich an d m u d d y grou n d
an d grow in rows over his lon g b u t t h in t wo acres.
Th at 's wh at th ey gave t h e farm er: two acres, a tractor
wit h its partners,
an d t h at lit t le house
in t h e blue-green sea grass
above his field . Also four ch icken s.
Th ey gave h i m four ch icken s
an d a h am m er, an d a p it ch fork.
Th is is wh at they gave h i m
an d he was glad for it , an d for his t it le: farmer.
H is fields are t illed .
Som eday h e'll have a daugh t er an d a son.
By m o r n in g, t h e farm er t h in ks, t h e shoots
will be u p an in ch or t wo.
Th e wron ged one is always t h e wron g on e.
37
Am p h r ib r ach Dan ce
Rem em ber, first fallin g, an d fallin g,
from lofty, from distan t, from dizzy
cliff's slim ledge, yes fallin g, t h rou gh clear, n ot
blu e-bu rn ed air, yet fallin g, st ill fallin g
to soft san d, to h ard sea, to lon gin g
for lon gin g, an d m u ch less: t h e b roken ,
t h e t h u n ky, t h e d an cin g we each d id ,
t h e heels d o wn , t h en toes u p , t h en heels d own ,
t h e r ockin g, t h e forward an d , yes, back—
its measure so awkward, t h e sad dan ce
we each d id , rem em b er, rem em ber?
38
Rem ora
Clin gin g t o t h e shark
is a sucker shark,
at t ach ed to wh ich
an d feedin g off its cru m bs
is one st ill t in ier,
in ch or t wo,
an d on top o f t h at on e,
on e t h e size o f a n ick of gauze;
sm aller an d sm aller
(m or on , id iot , im b ecile, n in com p oop )
u n t il on t op o f t h at
is th e last, a m icr od ot sucker shark,
a filament's t ip —w it h a h eart beat —sliced off,
an d t h e great sea
all arou n d feedin g
his host an d th us h i m .
He's too sm all
to be eaten h im self
(t h ou gh some t h in gs swim
wit h open m ou t h s) so
he just rides alon g i n th e b lu e cu rren t ,
t h e in visible p oin t of th e p yr am id ,
t h e t op ben eat h all else.
39
Nat ion al Im p alem en t Statistics
O n e ou t o f eigh t deaths occu r r in g i n t h e h om e
or on picn ics
is im palem en t -relat ed . Four
t h ou san d an d eleven people die
in h om e accidents in t h e USA each year (on average
over th e past decade), so
t h at means 501.375 people die
of h om e im palem en t s each year.
Two h u n d r ed an d eighty-seven people die on picn ics
each year in th e USA, therefore 35.875 (one does n ot
r ou n d off h u m a n beings!) people die
by im p alem en t
on picn ics, m ost ly by fork, b u t m an y m ore t h an on e m igh t expect
by t oot h p ick, p art icu larly
in th e Nort h east region of t h e cou n t ry.
Th e den ot at ive: sharp object
enters one part of body
an d , som etim es, emerges from an ot h er part of body, oft en ,
t h ou gh n ot always, en d in g in exp irat ion .
O n e loves
the exceptions: he wh o lives wit h t h e shaft of a golf clu b
skewerin g his n eck
an d learns t o walk sideways t h r ou gh doors; she wh o lives
wit h a lo n g sliver of ice, ever u n m e lt in g,
in h er ch est . . . Th e h om e
is a bruised an d b u r n in g place
an d in it lives a wo r m ,
an d t h e p icn ic, t h e p icn ic
is eat in g on t h e gr ou n d
as leopards do
wh en th ey are n ot eat in g i n t h e trees.
40
Asafetida
Th e good , good t h in g for you
as prescribed by an ot h er, bit t er
to t h e taste,
an d , t oo, it stinks
like a n eck after a boot h eel is lift ed ,
for a m o m e n t , from it .
Like an eely
spike in a sinus. A h orse-ch okin g p ill
p u t in a p lu n ger
an d shot d own you r t h roat —it 's good
for yo u , will im p rove you , you n eed it ,
p u t a lit t le h on ey on t h is t in y b o m b
an d take it d o wn , take
it righ t d own .
4i
1
:
r
i74 5 7 P i
m o
Le vi, an Elegy
— for Michael Ryan
I t h ou gh t Jews were just an ot h er d en om in at ion : Episcopalian s,
Met h od ist s, Jews, Cat h olics, Lu t h eran s, etc. I kn ew H it ler h ated
Jews. I kn ow I hated H it ler . I was a ch ild . Th e n am e o f ou r parish
was St. Ph ilip 's. I h ad n o idea wh o St. Ph ilip was. I n con fir m at ion
class I was asked th e n am e o f a Jewish cleric an d I said "a rab b it ." I
liked t o play wit h words. I liked t o read words. I liked t h e soun d o f
words. I n novels an d poem s an d h ist ory books: I liked t o read sentences. I read an d read. I d id oth er t h in gs t oo. Bu t I read h u n dreds
an d h un dreds o f books. Ma n y years passed. O n e day, m y frien d said
to m e: You sh ou ld read t h is book. H e read a lot of books t oo. H e said
h e an d h is wife were readin g your book alou d t o each oth er every
n igh t . Th ey lived deep in t h e cou n t ry, in a farm house o n a red h ill.
Th ey were very broke d u r in g those years. Readin g you r book aloud
to each oth er. W h e n th ey finally got a lit t le m on ey t h ey m oved , an d
m y frien d said h e felt com p elled , as th ey were leavin g t h e house for
t h e last t im e , t o open t h e cabin et ben eat h t h e kit ch en sin k.
W rap p ed arou n d t h e d rain p ip e was a lo n g, t h ick, gray snake t ryin g
to war m h im self. I read your book an d I read it alou d t oo, in m y own
lon ely house — I read it for myself, for m y frien ds, an d for t h at snake,
an d th is is wh y I' m wr it in g t o you n ow, t h ou gh you n o lon ger have
an address, t o t ell you : I read your book. I read you r book.
42
Goofer-Dust
(dirt stolen from an infant's grave around m idnight)
D o n ot try to take it from m y ch ild 's grave, n or
from t h e grave
of m y ch ild h o o d ,
n or from any infant's grave I gu ard —vood oo, ju ju , boo-hoo rites
callin g for it or n ot ! Th is dust, t h is d irt , will n ot
be t aken at dawn or n oon
or at t h e dusky t im e ,
an d i f you approach
th is sacred place near m id n igh t ,
t h en I will ch op ,
one by on e, your fingers off
wit h wh ich you do your h ar m . Goofer-dust: i f you wan t it ,
if you need it , t h en
erect d o wn win d fr om a baby's grave
a fine-meshed n et
an d gather it
on e-h alf grain , a flaky m ot e, an in fin it esim ally sm all fleck
of a flake at a t im e
an d in such a way
it is given t o you
by t h e day, t h e win d , the wo r ld ,
it is given t o you , th ereby
d im in ish in g t h e n eed to steal
th is d irt displaced by a ch ild
in a ch ild's grave.
43
W i t h Maet erlin ck's Great Book,
The Life of the Bee, I beh eaded a bee
staggering on t h e glass
pat io door as I open ed it
to read above book
on above pat io. Th e bee sluggish , first cold
co m in g on . I an gled an d aim ed
t h e book's spine
to detach its h ead,
an d d id so. I h ad fifty or so m ore pages
to read. I was in d ifferen t
to irony's b lu e acid b at h : I d on 't get lost i n
on e-h un dred-year-old books
about bees every day.
All I felt
was a desire t o shake t h e h an d of Ma u r ice Maet er lin ck,
wh o loved these creatures
an d showed it so
in th e ch oice an d order of his words.
44
Ter m in al Lake
Alt h o u gh they kn ow n o oth er waters
an d have n o creat ion m yt h s,
t h e fish d on 't like it h ere: n o way ou t ,
n o river to swim upstream or d own .
Ter m in al Lake squats t h ere,
its belly filled by springs, r ain
an d ice an d snow. It's deep,
Ter m in al Lake, an d n o one's gone to t h e b ot t om
an d com e back u p .
All's b lin d d own t h ere, an d cold .
Fr om above, it's a h uge black co in ,
it's as i f the real lake is d rain ed
an d th is lake is t h e d rain : gapin g, lan guageless, suck- an d sin kh ole.
45
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Na p k in
stands beside t h e kin g
wh en he dines,
a n ap kin h u n g
on his ar m . It was his father's job ,
an d his father's father's. H e stands to t h e r igh t
so he can step forward
an d t u r n t o offer the k in g
his ar m , a n ap kin rack,
from wh ich t h e kin g removes t h e n ap kin ,
dabs his m o u t h ,
an d return s it t o its rack.
Th e kin g is a good k in g,
an d his m an n ers likewise.
Th e n he dies.
Th e n ew k in g is a bad k in g,
so the serfs cu t off his h an ds.
He's a better k in g for it .
Th e Ch ie f At t en d an t of t h e Napkin 's task now?
No t on ly to at t en d t h e n ap kin
b u t also to dab the king's m o u t h .
H is son will have this job .
It's better t h an t h e n ew
positions: t h e Ch ie f Atten dan ts of t h e Kn ife, t h e Fork,
an d the Spoon . Th ey
stand to t h e king's left
an d t wo feet back so t h at t h e k in g
m ay call t h em sin gly
to the t able, or, most often
46
in t h at co m m o n d u o,
Kn ife an d Fork. Spoon , poor Spoon
t h e k in g calls u p fron t , alon e,
for m ilk-sopped bread or gru ely soup.
47
Th e Mo u n t ain s i n t h e River
on th e W ay to t h e Sea
O n ce, th ere were m ore m ou n t ain s, bigger m ou n t ain s.
Th e still-h ere m ou n t ain s were bigger.
Th e Him alayas were four tim es bigger!
Th e n t h e rains cam e,
an d the Jovian W in d s,
an d cold t o crack the r ain ,
an d they t ook some of t h e m ou n t ain s every day
to the rivers, wh ich took t h e m ,
a grain at a t im e , to t h e ocean .
Rain , win d , rivers: th ey do all the work
wh ile t h e ocean waits
wit h its m o u t h open
at the river's m o u t h .
Just as t h e seas on ce rose t o t h e m ou n t ain s,
t h e m ou n t ain s will go again
to t h e et ern al sea's soft bed.
48
Reject W h a t Confuses You
Reject what confuses you,
Outlaw what seduces you,
What did not spring from a pure will,
Into the flames with what threatens you.
— firesong for Nazi book burnings
Most of us wh o m ost of t h e t im e wo u ld n 't be shocked
wo u ld be
if you showed us t h e pict ures i n th is book,
wo u ld be
h orrified an d prefer n ot t o look
an d be adam an t ou r ch ild r en n ot look
b u t also be t oleran t —corn erst on e
for us —an d ad m it t h at t h e artist
can express h erself however she wan ts,
First Am en d m en t , free speech . . . Bu t wh en rem in d ed
we are payin g
t h e artist, even m eagerly, in d ir ect ly (taxes: N EA) , t h en
we t h in k oth erwise: " I am com m ission in g
you , am in fact your collaborat or, so d on 't
say (p ain t , ph ot ograph ) t h at ; I wo u ld n 't ." —Sorry,
I beg to differ, au
contraire! D o n ' t give m on ey
to support t h e arts, taxes or oth erwise.
An d (easy for some t o say) d on 't take any m on ey
before you m ake t h e art.
Ask t h em t o pay after
you give t h e m t h e art ,
n ot before.
Flies So Th ick above t h e Corpses i n
th e Ru b b le, t h e Soldiers Mu st Use
Flam et h rowers to Pass Th r o u gh
An d th e lit t le roasted flies
fall in t o t h e ru in s t oo,
an d m ore flies com e—sh oo fly, sh oo—
u n t il there's n o t h in g for t h em to com e t o
an ym ore, n o t h in g b u t sky, blan ket y-blan k blan k blank sky.
5°
Th e Ice W orm 's Life
is sun -avoidin g, an d by b u rred flanks
th ey wriggle t h r ou gh the glacier
wh ich t h ey'll never leave
n or ever m eet ice worm s of a n eigh b orin g glacier.
To t h em is t h e u n exam in ed life
wor t h livin g? By day
a few yards in / u n d er ice
an d t h en wild n igh t s, wild n igh ts
on t h e glacier's surface
wh ere to t h e m t h e win d brin gs p o llen , fern spores,
an d t h e algae
t h at t in t the b lu e frozen water red . Th e ice worm s gorge,
t h ey gorge, thousands of t h e m ,
in t h e dark, i n the co ld , aspirin g to grow
from on e-t en t h of an in ch
to four-tenths of an in ch .
All n igh t , t h e glacier a lawn
of t h em ben t by t h e win d , an d by dawn
they've gone d own in t o t h e ice to sleep,
to m at e, u n t il it is t im e
to ascend again : ou r refrigerative
fellow creatures, ou r n eighbors
on t h e glacier beside ours
wh o , i f we cou ld in vit e t h e m in t o ou r livin g room s,
wo u ld decom pose
in fifteen m in ut es (t h at soon!)
an d go wh erever t h eir th eology tells t h em th ey m ust go.
5i
Provincia Aurifera
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan d .
It's in t h e trees, beaches of it , it's sand!
You p ick it u p an d p u t it in you r pocket.
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan d .
Look at your gir l in t h e locket
she gave you : gold will be in you r hands.
Let's go t h ere: t h e gold-bearin g lan ds,
it's i n t h e trees, beaches o f it , it's sand!
52
I W i l l Please, Said t h e Placebo
O n e h u n d r ed m en have an in exp licab le, harm less,
t h ou gh p ain fu l space, or glob u le, or vacu u m ,
n o bigger t h an a baby pea, smack
in t h e m id d le of t h eir brain s: an an t i-t u m or ,
less t h an b en ign ,
since t h ere is n o place
in wh ich a m align an cy m ay grow.
All these m e n are b rou gh t t o a h osp it al,
lin ed u p , an d cou n t ed off: fifty od d ,
fifty even. Th e n t h e doctors
give t h e exp erim en t al dose t o t h e odds
an d sugar p ills to t h e evens.
Th ey all go h o m e, have d in n er ,
an d take t h eir p ills. Th e doctors said: O n t op
of a fu ll belly, take your p ills. By m o r n in g,
fifty of th e m e n h ad d ied ,
peacefully, i n sweet sleep, i n greeny dreams.
Fift y st ill lived : twenty-five wh o t ook t h e sugar p ill,
twenty-five wh o t ook t h e d ru g.
Autopsies an d CAT scans
on t h e dead an d th e livin g, respectively,
showed n o ch an ge
in t h e size o f t h e em ptin ess, wit h one
except ion : a t a ll, reedy
m an , one o f t h e dead,
whose an om aly
h ad sh ru n k, t h e doctors said,
to t h e size of a BB.
H osp it alit y an d Revenge
You in vit e you r n eigh bor over
for a beer an d a piece o f p ie.
H e says words in appropriat e
about you r Xm as bric-a-brac.
You shoot h i m , th ree t im es, i n th e face.
W h ile you co m p lain t o his first son
re h igh off-wh it e-couch clean in g costs,
h e shoots you i n th e face five t im es.
At your wake, your first son pu m ps eigh t
slugs b eh in d his first son's left ear.
Your wife in vites your n eighbor's wid ow for tea.
54
Fr o m t h e H igh Gr o u n d ,
it's a gran d view o f valley an d farm ,
a lu cid view of steeples an d graveyards,
of all t h e t in y people u p M a i n Street an d d own
Ma p le , o f t h e m id d le an d gram m ar schools t oo.
Fr o m t h e h igh groun d's elevat ion : a lo n g
look at the good boys an d bad , a len gt h y look
at t h e gir l o n t h e swin g
as h er skirt billows.
Th ere's the m a ilm a n wh o reads every let t er.
Th ere's t h e r in g i n its box on a lit t le black p illow.
Th ere's t h e m ilk m a n t akin g too lon g to deliver his m ilk .
Th ere's the librarian 's un dies on the lin e—silk.
Fr om the h igh grou n d all is clear,
in t erp ret able, lu cu len t : this is wh at t h is m eans.
Th e Berchtesgaden view, a dog at your h eel.
Fr om the h igh grou n d (low shrubs
stubbed by t h in win ds)
t h e stony pat h reaches
h igh er st ill, loft ier, t o heaven alm ost,
as it grows n arrower,
an d m ore n arrow.
55
Dyst opia
For shoes: rat skins du ct -t aped arou n d a foot.
Shirts: sacks used to h au l cor n
to H igh Feast Day d in n ers.
Th e same corn's husks
used to p olish t h e boots o f t h e adjut an t s
an d baked in t o bread by t h e ad ju t an t s' adju t an t s.
Th er e are n o ribs wit h o u t elbows i n t h em .
Th er e is n o sh oulder wit h o u t th e breat h o f an ot h er on it .
Co u gh in g carries across seas an d sod.
Th e Dysen tery W ar d fights t h e Typh u s W ar d
for a m elo n r in d wh ich , i n t h e con fu sion ,
is stolen by a leper
wh o silences h is bell's clapper
wit h his t h u m b 's stub.
W h e n t wo love
h ere, an d som etim es t wo do love h ere,
th ey are fam ished for each oth er
b u t too weak t o rise from t h eir pallets o f straw
to kiss. It is by t h eir serene looks
an d on e-eigh t h smiles
t h e grave crews
h on or t h em —p lacin g one first, t h e ot h er secon d,
in a twen ty-person t r en ch .
N o casseroles for th e m ou rn ers.
Th e th ree or fou r r em ain in g haves
are q u ickly eaten by t h e have-nots.
56
Mo n key Bu t t er
Mon key butter's tasty, tasty,
you p u t it i n cookies an d p ie,
you m ix it i n cake, I can 't t ell you a lie:
d on 't be ligh t wit h it , n or hasty
to push it aside. It's n ot t oo sweet,
wit h a ligh t banana-y h u e,
t h e m onkeys all love it ,
an d so will t h e one you call you,
t h e you who's an ot h er you wan t to love you .
Pu t it i n his p u d d in g, in h er pastry puff,
t h en sweep t h e t able of all t h at ot h er stuff.
Lat er, leave a lit t le i n his left, h er righ t , shoe.
57
Breakbon e Fever
O n t h e fem ur a b rick drops h ar d , from t h e t op r ib
to b ot t om a steel
bar slams, on n eck bones an d sku ll, on