Autumn 158
Poem (Language was almost impossible) 159
In a Motel on Lake Erie 160
A Dime Found in the Snow 161
VII from Riven Doggeries (1979)
Riven Doggeries 165
Heatstroke 166
Rooster 168
Sloops in the Bay 169
With a Child All Day 170
Nature Poem: Demanding Stiff Sentences 171
Time X 172
The Shy One 173
The Life of Poetry 174
River’s Story 175
The Responsible Romance 176
Goodtime Jesus 177
In the Realm of the Ignition 178
VIII from Constant Defender (1983)
Land of Little Sticks, 1945 181
Poem for the Sandman 182
Five Years Old 183
The Horseshoe 184
The Wild Cheese 185
Nobody’s Business 186
Tell Them Was Here 188
Spring Was Begging to Be Born 189
Mystic Moment 191
Yonder 192
Summer Night 194
Nausea, Coincidence 196
Blue Spill 197
Yellow Newspaper and a Wooden Leg 198
Constant Defender 199
The Motorcyclists 200
Memo to the Dark Angel 201
If It Would All Please Hurry 202
Interruptions 205
Bluebird Houses 206
To Fuzzy 207
Poem to Some of My Recent Poems 209
A Jangling Yarn 210
Paint ’Til You Faint 211
Tragedy’s Greatest Hits 213
Toward Saint Looey 214
Earthworks 216
On the World’s Birthday 217
Jo Jo’s Fireworks—Next Exit 221
No Rest for the Gambler 222
A Wedding 223
The List of Famous Hats 225
Jelka Revisited 226
Smart and Final Iris 228
The Chaste Stranger 229
Ash Manor 231
A Vagabond 232
Neighbors 234
The Sadness of My Neighbors 235
Thoughts While Reading The Sand Reckoner 236
Storm 238
Stella Maris 239
I
from The Lost Pilot
(1967)
Manna
I do remember some things
times when I listened and heard
no one saying no, certain
miraculous provisions
of the much prayed for manna
and once a man, it was two
o’clock in the morning in
Pittsburg, Kansas, I finally
coming home from the loveliest
drunk of them all, a train chugged,
goddamn, struggled across a
prairie intersection and
a man from the caboose real-
ly waved, honestly, and said,
and said something like my name.
The Book of Lies
I’d like to have a word
with you. Could we be alone
for a minute? I have been lying
until now. Do you believe
I believe myself? Do you believe
yourself when you believe me? Lying
is natural. Forgive me. Could we be alone
forever? Forgive us all. The word
is my enemy. I have never been alone;
bribes, betrayals. I am lying
even now. Can you believe
that?
