AFTER IONE

Vision paled
The heart lurched—faltered
Mountains drifted, as did I
Leagues beyond memory
Leagues beyond the call of night.
I asked into the last owl’s wisdom
She reveled in mercy
I was spent beyond repeal
I ask you, with head bowed
Why the axe to my heart
Why the dreams that wander
Why the river’s veins bursting
In a throng of mildewed wine.
If this were heaven, I would ache
Till morning, snared by the thistle’s beam,
Echoing down her long dead year.
Prayers for the living, prayers for
The rest of us, those who lie,
Those who rust. Equality
Rots the core—I have no more
Child to spare. This speaks to no one.
Empty the bowls, empty the house,
Empty the river’s run to sea. Dark horses
Stray, dark horses weave their tails
In my dreams.
This will be her empire, the one that
Falls apart. Will she rise with the sun, or fall
With the slivered moon?
The beeches weep, the pines rage,
The aspens call down their shattered heart.