lxx

let the kitchen constrain
the baseboards limn
the function--

I swear I am falling

let the seconds gasp
heavily, the minutes
slow, sluggish

I swear I am falling
through the floorboards

unexpected, unwanted

for these few hours--
I am free

unwarranted, unexpected
unwanted, still--

I swear I am falling, the
cannon rolls, and

the windows shake my
reflection, I hear a roar
through the crack,

in the glass

a war deferred, still, I do
not believe--I have faith

in the roar, and the roll
far off, I believe

in the horror, the crowd,
the seconds delineate,

unwanted, unexpected, unwarranted
I am free for just this one moment,

I believe, in this one moment,
unwanted, I believe

I am falling, in just this one moment,
the baseboard limn, the windows
constrain--

reflection, the kitchen limns, I believe
I am falling--

lxxi

seizes the night, and lets it
go--surely

the moon, over the hills,
holding, if

the street widened, fell
momentarily,

I would walk, tired and
aching,

below the shadow of that
light, leading

(the bamboo hums)

I would shudder, by the
large window, shuddering

in the window, towards the
the light falling

(the bamboo gasps, falls
forward, rustles)

across the walk, I would lay
below the balcony,

(hisses, whispers, rustles
carries tongues, through the
fence)

I would rest, the morning light
blank, across the empty
carpet--I would lay

under the breeze

(falls and flaps, whistles,
and sags forward)

the vague buzz of morning,
the gate creaks,

breaks the leaves, against
the cement

I would fall, lay,
sleep,

(stands still, maybe gleaming,
the sunlight utters nothing)

even in the face of footfalls, if
I could sleep, once

more (rustles, shudders, hisses
rustles, falls still), the light
blinding, still--