Revision in Monochrome

February that distorted ghost carries winter
traces angelic coldfall from table's edge and
broken glass pierces afterthought crying
reduced to elements remembering thirst
concludes with the cold milk branching into
lyric oblivion shipwrecked in a field of air
and drenched in metaphor of fact that ruins
paper as some practicing deity gave these
finite words we move around

The Abandoned

disappear behind our selves into beautiful beautiful
time without words between you and me
the way you left us floating down a stream
wrapped in words as if there were meaning in
sound the sound of words in your mouth no it is
the way they feel in my mind as I read along as
you say my brain it is the sea to day as if
ocean were separate from land as if you said
let there be

Elements

in grid of small squares large building words
sentenced inside a nonetheless defiled captive
alteration between the bars blue sky is music
toward immovable dust of asteroids' fierce
restriction inside modification of bone and
blood and outside everything is desire and the
lack of it a sentence suspended a word a saying
a letter with its own key

Minor Waning

everyone loves the madness of bananas peeling
off the words as she goes along the atheist
clears her mind and becomes a pure vessel for
receiving a revolution is nothing greater than
once around the circle I found you beginning by
the river but you were only there as long as it
takes water to move across a small stone I
thought if I could show you we'd have no need
to speak

Blank

forgiveness has no clock no face the camera
which looks but does not see little windows of
indifference inside me falling pages from trees
can window with a coat of paint wild
forgetfulness pleases me most to speak nothing
can we play piano without flowers lost in your
lettered keys nothing stands for anything yet
still you say pear and plum and sea

The Other Vanishes

sun fires time is movement in a park set with
picnic table next to swing next to cat with a
twisted rear leg leaps from bushes and runs
rather limps across space the green uncut grass
of disappears into trees as time must be
learned like speech knotting words on a cord
disconnected note by wind by note while the
trees whisper in their blackened silks

Modulation

the ineffable smiles without tone when words
and lovers fail and loves the way you keep
coming back poet enters first person and begins
dreaming death in circulation a blue jay works
a sparrow's head off at the neck and leaves the
body behind death in circulation the need to
make the fragmented and unfinished into the
whole a blue jay works a sparrow's head off at
the neck