from Blackwater Quartet, selection 79

Tangent Surfaces

1. Road

The Romans made roads here, renamed sky

this blue Imperium, proclaimed: Sky.

Stone quarried, hauled cart miles across waste

land the width of Caesar’s surnamed sky.

A road for armies, garrison route:

Londinium— London’s nicknamed sky.

Old hands learned Latin, household gods plumped

on almond paste and Caesar’s tamed sky.

Pilgrim, I came with others, cold coin

and no tomorrows: wished stars, blamed sky.

2. Falling

In the field, snapped remains brace low clouds,

half-turned crop spoiled wet by Giotto clouds.

Last back to 1916, this war:

canvas, buckled struts, El Greco clouds.

Ash pilot, ash blown, flies, this fly boy

invites mud crust, Canaletto clouds.

This simple thing, arm’s length, bullet

shaped, this lie, quit Tintoretto clouds.

The furrows open. Weather, antique,

shows sleep past pilgrim, Picasso clouds.

3. Raw

Call it something, made muscle, turn this

until bones bind, a tongue to learn this.

Sought palm maps, DNA plug and stitch,

ancestor twisting to discern this.

Here retina, reed-focus sharp then

weapons, red kill stripped bare to earn this.

How spark, flint struck, striking dry grass shows

face against dark, shadows that burn this.

Gather black root, pilgrim. Shook seeds trail

and take, make world enough to turn this.

4. Late

Cuba’s twilight lingers: shoelace sun.

Margaritas, guitars chase rat race sun.

Brass swing fan moves dead air, this slow down

low down, sweat bead hung marketplace sun.

Mulatto doorway, fruit punch shirt, sweet

talk salty African girl-grace sun.

The radio is speeches, 50s

samba, no jive, just grilled, heat chase sun.

Boats lit, easy music scuffs patent

pumps, barefoot pilgrim, kicks, sway pace sun.

5. Claim

Man-carcass rats reamed sags to shallows,

hide, bones, beetle crunch of stew shallows.

The pitched tent washed away then dry rot

set the seams, dry gulch, mildew shallows.

Gold stays, threads stone with this thirst, this rich

unyielding want shoals sinew shallows.

He pulled the Colt, pure oxygen, lead

deciding which depth, which drew shallows.

Iron pan slurry, femur scree panned out,

dead-shine, pilgrim, impromptu shallows.

6. Rise

Now loved, now in this light prove such time,

wind-tucked, hawkhung work, this clawclutch time.

Name this place, sand grain opened wider.

Step through bird’s eye soaring, not much time.

This little lateness speeds, licks aeons.

Taste time jelly-sugar, sweet touch time.

Sand course, sea course, inoculate each,

this journey dune and wave, cure crutch time.

I miss you everywhere, element

and shine, grace, pilgrim, this nonesuch time.