book of autumn thirst: the washington bay
[book of autumn thirst]
the washington bay
there were so many wolves 1
singing the washington bay 2
that i bought into it, 3
what can i say? i needed to be a tourist, 4
if just for a few days, 5
so i didn’t have to be the mossback. 6
i leaned back and pitched my voice up, 7
my eyes are primary here 8
and the townies can be superior to me 9
while i point at every tree 10
that’s taller than juniper, spruce or piñon can be, 11
i don’t mind. 12
i’m seeing more than they do anymore 13
because scenery is pretty much wasted on locals. 14
when the rains came 15
we traded names, 16
we took hands, 17
and we were brothers, sister. 18
winters evergreen with density 19
that turned purity cleans 20
mimicry of tears to rain. 21
and on one of the lópez isles 22
i heard an alegrias in my head 23
and i’m not ashamed of how it made me feel, 24
if for one second i can 25
stop wanting to 26
kill you all for room 27
and the silence to think. 28
when the rains came 29
we gave up on shame, 30
we put away the guns, 31
and we were sisters, brother. 32
the painting looked like the girl 33
who became the woman 34
who is raising the girl 35
who is becoming a woman 36
who hears the washington bay 37
in her head 38
like wolf cubs do, 39
her feet twitch when she dreams. 40
23.44 30.5.95
