Basic Spring Poem (stone-caterpillar-hospital gown)
O big-believer… bug… stone mason
minor summer
taking yr airspace
caterpillar on the oak leaf
taking yr airspace
campanology
making you something
wanting something from you something
that nobody guessed you’d
had in you
the veil
you’ve slept in
as sleeves
requiems
…drums
sometimes sliding along a dam
as owls
putting on the robes for a change
(not the hospital-
the room which makes you look older than
you)
but the misery
(the light
little stabs of it)(you guess)
but you are the
wrong kind
you are not the
right kind
of tree:
It has two fangs; it has sharp teeth
and it likes to chew.
2.
but sometimes, pebble-that-can’t-fly
are you avoiding?
are you going to, sortof
fly away, spray, anoint, thrust?
test your wings’ purse?
(anyway)
what is it to be an actual crawler?
what is it
to tell the
fall out of the period, the stupid
period before the book hits
(the period)
what is it to be like, 500 shirts?
what is it to be one, worn
snug over the body
not just any but
the body you meant for
what is to be strict to invade space
yr body
yr very strict
body put up
3.
governor
your honor
what have you sewn into you huh?
particle
what are you made of
are you like this already, the last ex-?
(!)
do you like lots of things do you like bugs?
easels with stepladders?
(pretty girl should sit here and paint. at one o’clock she does that)
(at six she gets up and goes home)
(she paints bugs)
webs are less artful than radiators
exotic vizier, thing-that-can’t-fly
cool, cool
(she looks up)
could you do something could you do something
for me now
could you marry us
marry us in silk and hurry hurry
(could you) while we learn something about this really
really anything that we can catch about this, lots