This little stretch of life

There are sanctuaries  small melting snowdrifts
here and there  – an atmosphere
easy to crawl into  In one of those intervals
where all thought has ceased  I am tempted
by waves  the transparent sea   I think my heart
beats twice a day  – a very slight 
ailment   I’ve tried  all approaches  – aerial
and subterranean – I am mixed about
like a drop of oil on water. This place!
This pile of masonry!  Accumulated 
stray objects – you can get right under
clutching  like a gasping mermaid
no view to be seen   Have you ever
gone through caves?  Things 
just seep through the walls
I don’t imagine anyone  could hear me
howling  I am one
of ten thousand  or whatever it is
who are lost each year   In a minute or two
I know I shall forget   Excuse 
my disconnectedness  – I must go see
what everything is doing 
– these things on my shoulders
are not wings

from ‘Slant’ (Shearsman Books 2016)