In the interim

A deer  or an antelope  poised in the long grass
the sound of rustling   as there is now
plucked  startled  from where it does
to where it does not  belong   a  process
of interruption  What is all this waiting for?
A bookshelf  a vase of flowers  (catches briefly
the sunlight)  the indetermination  of each bloom
A rocking horse rocks   a picture hangs  haphazard
on the wrong wall   All that is makeshift   the lid is off
in half readiness  The creature  thus procured
may be placed against  a background   posed  in a room
for living  (see above)   a pattern  of diamonds
or some such décor   a focus for elaboration
on which  the pencil may linger   One graceful limb
(almost human) crossing  gracefully  at the ankle
the other  Gaze tethered   between two worlds
(from now on  it could go many ways)
When disappointed  the will is whittled away
her head skewed (an old habit)  There are no details:
a little tipping over  as if on the way  This leaning
left  Unchecked   goes on leaning  To be so upturned
shaken  like a cellar of salt   what leaks?  what remains?
onto what would she hold?  her hair is thick
and her nails are very strong  It could be time (untitled)
leaning moribund against her wall   She wants
nothing specific  a gleaning out of shadow  an alteration
of what is  what was  To be guided  henceforth
Blossoms fall in random configurations  petals
curl & fade   having given   according to capabilities
only so much pleasure   The power of gentle flutterings
the storm  the blowing away  After lines that do not twist
she longs for verse  Words that by chance she reads
are like a distant flock of swallows   scattered
settled  among the branches:  threnody  mescal  aspen

from ‘Slant’ (Shearsman Books 2016)