the edge of edge.
Wisps. Little tongues.
3
Tongues at work. Talk Today
She could did for an hour or more.
My first her, who gave me words.
Then at the end, before, merely Oh!
A moment of . . . of more, perhaps.
Oh sweet and blessèd could be.
Oh my soul
4
Soul slept, called in sick.
Late sun clouds
the lake with clouds.
Katydid down
to –did –did.
Nothing to be done.
Little sun, quarter moon.
5
Moon covered, un-
covered, covered again, cold.
Cold and hot, very and both.
Disturbed the Sea of Tranquility.
Distributed by the Moon Shop.
Distributed self in pieces.
Oh my broken.
6
Broken down, or out, as in
war, or into, soon: my own him.
How much we carry around
under our skins, many
we were, girls and boys
Now now
And then then.
7
Then gone and then to come:
all the time, except the split
second, except—
All the time in the world.
And out of this world?
Oh little heart on my wrist,
where are we going?
8
Going home: packed her bags
to go back ninety years
burning skirt broken fork
slow train the old house
current counter under cross
The one who gave me time
is out of time.
9
Time to shut the rattling
windows slamming doors
And if at first you don’t and if
you try again and don’t you
slip a little slide
Rope burns hands over
the book the pages over
10
Over time she—
Overtime. Timer
she was Click I mean
I. Would work the week
long song bird in the—
Burning bush ahead, red
sumac jeweled by sun.
11
Sun, here come the clouds
again. Between us. You
could care: you’ll swallow
us up on your way out.
You’re almost halfway
there, and here
am I, way past half.
12
Half-life, half-light, half-
moon, half-mast: low
flag, and every evening down.
Discovered a world of green
in him, on the shore
of newfound skin
His different hand
13
Hand over hand
over: change
for an empty
Enter the bare page
Oh keep him safe
in his thin shift
on his metal bed
14
Bed for one, my very
one, own, oh let
him let him
Someone’s deep inside
him now, something
inside him’s taken is
it is he let him breathe
15
Breathe light hold
in the light: him at bandaged
rest, her last year in her
last bed: the apple pink
just under the skin: I
am floating again a little less
less the chord resolving.
16
Resolved, that leaves should turn
