Roshi

for Jessica

the approach to the house
nigh unto midnight

the grass, wet
a distant train whistle

eyes, and a sequence of
dimly lit windows

passes for literacy
in light of sentiment

it is Tartus, 1936
just off a shrimping boat

up the hill
with a bucketful

or a steep dirt road
of musty smells

and peepers in spring
Mansfield, Vermont 1963

what matter?
one's there

where here is
our simple imagery

gone black with night
a tree leaf rimmed

with the blood of memory
a blue flower

clenched against the dark
and mooning fireflies

recovered still
in primary colors

that scald and seal
in cool regard

the heat of the original
monument


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