LEGACIES OF DUST

When thistles to a father
mean starlings to a tree
the names of constellations
cease to mean a thing.

When war has subdivided
and sired many sons,
where grows the master
in whose trust we shall succumb?

Can a mistake be unlearned
or must it be paid off in full?
We promised no one but ourselves,
with no one but us to lose.

In glacial focus warmed by ice
vaporous tracings lend device
to a precisely positioned skeletal hand
aiming a magnifying glass at the sand.

Erasing all traces and even memories
the names of relations disappear in the trees
the foggy invasions, the birds in the eaves,
the stars in the window, the whispers of thieves.

PURPOSE

The individual becomes
an illusory component
of the genetic whole
a mere scale on the
plating of its spine
the shifting, ever
processing evolving
body politic a creature
that when pulled back
from far enough to
focus onto entirely
reveals the astonishing
sight of humanity as
one of its claws
gripping ineluctably
about the planet
in its natural stance
an immortal dance
or ecstatic crucifiction
as it expires unto the starset
our deaths sing its memory
of extinction foretold
that the truth is full
of mold though the only
parts really seen have
been so thoroughly
scrubbed clean.

PORTRAIT OF THE WORLD (AS A FRAMED INDIVIDUAL)

battery powers attack justifies
rape submits control escapes
abandon gathers force builds supremacy
endangers freedom dissolves worship
denies mutation persists evolution
creates invention parts history wakes
dreaming realizes action fronts revolution
sparks induction starts generations
move mountains weather storms
ignite fires destroy cities spread
wealth corrupts hearts pound chests
trap secrets kept under mined
resources assist nations exchange
plunder soothes criminals blackmail
attorneys distort perception reveals
exposure frames innocents accept battery
charges power runs attack multiplies justice
enforces rape requires submission permits
control modifies escape allows abandon disperses
gathering generates force activates building
reinforces supremacy boosts endangered
wildlife freedom fights dissolution
spreads worship placates denial weakens
mutation engenders persistance strengthens
evolution branches creation begins invention
eases parts assemble history passes waking
starts dreaming fictions realize truth action
perpetrates fronts ebb revolutions unfold
sparks shower induction shocks start cars
generate rhythm moves crowds mountain
high weather condenses storms develop
ignition electrifies fire lights destruction
levels cities stain spreading catches
wealth burdens corruption decays hearts
labor pounding open chests contain
traps secure secrets poison kept airtight
under water mines collapse resources
enable assistance lends nations unify
exchange students plunder information
soothes curiosity criminals collaborate
blackmail entreats attorneys dismiss
distortion prevents perception illuminates
revelation focuses exposure shows
framed convicted innocents helpless
accepting inevitable battery charges

THE WAY YOU BLINKED.

Let's say my heart was a gourd.
I lifted it
and poured it empty
into your gaping mouth.
The way you took it from my hands,
staring me in the eyes,
this intrigued me.

The way you held it in your palms,
your gaze unwavering,
this made me smile.

The way your tongue licked the sides,
how it arched into and lapped its interior
...your hands cupped
...your grin
...your face lowered
your eyes holding me,
this made me burn.

The way your hands relaxed.
The way they fell to your hips.

The way the gourd hit the floor.
The way the gourd hit the floor.

The way the few fragments
busily rocked back and forth.

The way you blinked.