Jul 14, 2003

Inspired by Aaron's archival urge, I went back and looked for stuff dated 7/14/97, I found one poem with that date, but it sucks. I did find the file of poems from the reading (which I don't think happened until November) in question. (If you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, follow the link on Aaron's name above and read his post.) Most of those sucked, too, but I did find one that I'm willing to take responsibility for (please keep in mind this is from 1997.):

THE PENITENT KNEELS BEFORE A SUBURBAN AFTERNOON
(after Philip Larkin & Mayo Thompson)

Crouched before the window
a high, thin white light
an arctic light, from the thin-aired
tops of mountains;

bare ceiling, pale walls
a flickering chinese lantern is
a fill-in flash:
my skin is too brittle, stuccoed--

rings of metal beads
around my wrists, the cord that
lights said lamp, that holds
the stopper to the faucet;

(Where do you keep the key?
In an ivory box, between my tongue and my teeth.
How long is the cord to the key?
As long as from my tongue to my heart.)

the lengths of ballchain glimmer:
millenarial light--my scars, my artifacts,
my cubist intersection of bones and skin,
misplaced in this mid-day glow: diagrammatic, medical

and all around, the high, thin light
as if shed by high windows,
implicating.


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