turn: color to motion to rest.
Flutter of yellow, flash of red, bronze-
leafed trunk fallen across the path.
Ducks twitch white tails over the water,
geese stretch necks . . . All fall down.
All rise. All different.
17
Different from us. Dry,
quiet. Still. Still
Freeman Sarah Rebekah John
locust maple hornbeam oak
Timothy. Bent grass under
our feet, over their bones.
Katheryn. Out of. Under and over.
18
Over my— my tiny
planet, growing colder, little
train that could but where’s
the track? On, off
again, over my, un-
done, nerve
flinched at No. But maybe If—
19
If. Only. Then
again. But out
of time just now as
the lace of yellow locust
leaves molecules
particles waves catches
its breath begins to hum.
20
Hum of words
under words: brief
for breath, him
for hum, him still
in his bed for one—
And clouds so thick and fast
the whole sky’s turning.
21
Turning now to the newsy world the Red
Sox take last four claim pennant countries
taken in or out people counted no
count bombing voting mission killing
vision blurred our leader says God says
had hatred in his heart he said rage
testosterone he said our leader vote for God
22
God is not a Republican
Democrat Yankee Red
Sox fan of him or her—
But him is whom our bed
is holding, him my one is home
again, oh bless him keep him safe
this little time that is our life.
23
Lifetime, timeline, line-
up, down time, no time
to lose time, all time gone.
More of them, body count a full
count, bases loaded, all bets
off, one by one, or war
time lots, all at once.
24
Once there was a girl, a boy, end
of story in one first word, once
she was and nothing’s left of her except
me oh my and her him too: her last
days he also came all back to me but
now my own him is here is not
once upon but times many.
25
Many, as in instances, or all,
one, as in passing, as in course of:
two words for time, in Vietnamese,
but one for all the times to do,
for go went gone, as in, this colder
day, the geese: only ducks and gulls
on the little pond, its tiny island.
26
Island’s I, for all
the thinking not (no man
no self). Island’s home,
at least for some. But here’s
a little boat for back and forth
with one beside, rowing through
the eventide, the late evening.
27
Evening out. On
the town, out of town:
city wearing your black
dress sequined with lights, I
am coming down for an even-
ing out, in bed beside.
The rest: held by, holding.
28
Holding on the Red
Sox won eclipsing even the full
eclipsed moon a moment outside
the trouble we’ve seen though the TV had
to bring in the war the war that people
believe is good because they want
to believe it’s a winning team
29
Teeming
