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HERE AND THERE
by Millard C. Davis Bark on the pine tree was unraveling slowly, Exposing the galleries beetles had woven. You could think of winter of having set a frame, One with ice that threw everything away When crystals expanded all night long And our mornings seemed to be wrinkled And then shining like broken mirrors With the dawn's new running away with wetness. I thought if we stood there just long enough, We might catch in our hands spring coming in, But you said, "You can't hold long any rainbow. We ourselves never have a grip on our moments. That's just how things are and we are a part." |
WOVEN by Sophia Ewing |
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STOP AT EVERY LAMB (For Quentin Duval) by Viola Weinberg Driving through the hot valley Checking on water lines You and James, miles of hours Stretching before you The quiet between two friends Comfort, solace, fibers that weave Two men together as they drive You suddenly shouted, "Stop the car!" Pulling a notepad out of your pocket Bent with sitting, grimy and dog-eared Your pencil at the ready, you tumbled Like a bear out of the cab, writing as you ran Toward the lamb just being born Toward the miracle of it, toward the sun You flew, uncaring of time or place You placed that lamb upon your page I can see your red face now, eyes like eggs At the marvel of it all, your hand moving fast To catch the sight, to catch the fire of it all Beneath your brow, a piece of heaven for us all |
EARTH GODDESS by Brent Wiggans |
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HOW TO PRAY IN KAZAKHSTAN (Alma Ata, 1989) by Viola Weinberg Beware of dogs facing west Horse skulls laid in moat Beware the crystal breath caught By paintings of the dead And photographs that steal the soul Remove your shoes at the door Beware the tight, cold wire of false friends On the high plain, beware of the steppes That lead to the savanna, beware the Sleepy eyes of the Tien Shen Mountains And the dangerous roar of spies who come to Hail and bury us deep in the ditch of glory Beware of whistling indoors, but drink the tea Beware of truths told in a woman's sleep Be careful, please, to avoid the creaking trap Step over the pit, walk the long way around Share the sheep's eye, eat the cheek, stay South of Siberia, the apples will make you complete |
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