Each ecstasy I carry aims toward the clarity
of heaven. Light by light Hellenic stars —
ignite between the rivers. Old parent stones

slip shoulders. Rise & fall & rise beyond
the place, I tried alone to let alone, even
inch by inch, then faced bringing back

to attention. The grounding here & now,
day by day the whereabouts of giant forms —
nights I swore, because I thought

color could rally injustice. Chapters I sat
with my eyes on the floor. I tried
not looking to see everything, stopped

hearing the conflict, the delta,
the galaxy of spiral arms, the gravity
of God. There’s been no true deliverance.

Limbs network roots, their crosses grow
in liberty. Small lives exist; decay.
No one owns the damage. Leaves turn red;

sun shelters steam, the cold returns
brutalities. Hard magic splits the earth & seed.
A new religion blooms on banks. I try to lose

the stench of rot, the bloat of loam
grown black. Children play diversions,
track-&-field events. The hopscotch lines

of body, chalk, get lost, come home, get lost,
come home between two houses, doors.
Make believe heroes draw swords in the dust,

the harmony of guns, the pop, pop, pop
of firework, lights, another Roman candle.