"east east the great lake"

east east the great lake
wakes my song in no ear
melody so folded in blood
to sing might unvein me

warblers sing east they know to stop
at lake edge in the pinion in the reed
hear a yellow song in juniper
the needle in their blood composes

their song in my hand
if I pray

my wife in wood how many flowers
stalled in wood

blessing rooted in blood blood is
rooted in blossom

my grandmother in ash

water thin veil thin silk

threads ripple out the wings
the dying bee's song
beaten into water only the eye
at lake edge can hear the tune

I hear the tune I see I do
hear sweet honey sweet sap
here is the sun // the sun in cocoon
in cloud at night

a sentence in love

the old moon in the arms
of the new

moon and my arms
pulling the silk out my mouth

swaddling cloth prefigures the shroud
the threadsource inside me now
that thread taut in spider's web
is silken in the silkworm's mouth
the panicked bee must tune its hum
when honey is caught is harmony
I sing my love to thought
In time // a silken art // philosophy
in margins // the eye cocoons
within the tongue one silken strand
I wind my patience into ecstasy I chew
silk to sing my dark heart again

blood in ribbons glows through skin
my hand held to flame
reveals the moth wing in the vein
my hand the lamp

my own blood flutters to and seeks
the moth wing in the vein

                           *

my vein in the moth wing
blood flutters blood seeks
the moon within a hand
my hand veined to veined wing
my hand apart from flame
skin woven bright // bright veins unlaced

again in my heart some dark silk
sings patience into ecstasy
the tongue unwinds
that silken margin the white eye
not in thought not philosophy
my love in song not time
honey is gold gathered into harmony
the harp strung in the bee's wing
is silken in the silkworm's mouth
the spider attends the taut
thread source inside me now
the shroud predicts the swaddling cloth

pulled out my mouth my
arms the moon

new cusp of
light limns the old edge we

love in sentences

the grammar in the cloud
undone by light the sun
sweet in honey sweetens sap
in my ear I hear

echo back the song concentric
in circles the lake will deafen
its edge will sing back each thread
beaten from wings
the dying bee will leap up

smooth lake the bridal veil

ash in water is ink

blossomroot bloodblossom sharp
blessing in blood

not in knot not in burl a flower
wife of wooden petals

make my hand of song

my finger a needle of blood
let me point to yellow
song bright among reeds the pivot
at lake edge none sleep warblers
sing east and grammar me east

so song rising unveins me
blood so folded in harmony
my ear wakes in song
the great lake // east east

Dan Beachy-Quick
Mulberry
Tupelo Press

Copyright © 2006 Dan Beachy-Quick.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission.

REMEMBER TO SUPPORT POETRY DAILY'S GENEROUS SPONSORS... Sponsor PD!