6
Broken down, or out, as in
war, or into, soon: my own him.
How much we carry around
under our skins, many
we were, girls and boys
Now now
And then then.
7
Then gone and then to come:
all the time, except the split
second, except—
All the time in the world.
And out of this world?
Oh little heart on my wrist,
where are we going?
8
Going home: packed her bags
to go back ninety years
burning skirt broken fork
slow train the old house
current counter under cross
The one who gave me time
is out of time.
9
Time to shut the rattling
windows slamming doors
And if at first you don’t and if
you try again and don’t you
slip a little slide
Rope burns hands over
the book the pages over
10
Over time she—
Overtime. Timer
she was Click I mean
I. Would work the week
long song bird in the—
Burning bush ahead, red
sumac jeweled by sun.
11
Sun, here come the clouds
again. Between us. You
could care: you’ll swallow
us up on your way out.
You’re almost halfway
there, and here
am I, way past half.
12
Half-life, half-light, half-
moon, half-mast: low
flag, and every evening down.
Discovered a world of green
in him, on the shore
of newfound skin
His different hand
13
Hand over hand
over: change
for an empty
Enter the bare page
Oh keep him safe
in his thin shift
on his metal bed
14
Bed for one, my very
one, own, oh let
him let him
Someone’s deep inside
him now, something
inside him’s taken is
it is he let him breathe
15
Breathe light hold
in the light: him at bandaged
rest, her last year in her
last bed: the apple pink
just under the skin: I
am floating again a little less
less the chord resolving.
16
Resolved, that leaves should turn
and turn: color to motion to rest.
Flutter of yellow, flash of red, bronze-
leafed trunk fallen across the path.
Ducks twitch white tails over the water,
geese stretch necks . . . All fall down.
All rise. All different.
17
Different from us. Dry,
quiet. Still. Still
Freeman Sarah Rebekah John
locust maple hornbeam oak
Timothy. Bent grass under
our feet, over their bones.
Katheryn. Out of. Under and over.
18
Over my— my tiny
planet, growing colder, little
train that could but where’s
the track? On, off
again, over my, un-
done, nerve
flinched at No. But maybe If—
19
If. Only. Then
again. But out
of time just now as
the lace of yellow locust
leaves molecules
particles waves catches
its breath begins to hum.
20
Hum of words
under words: brief
for breath, him
for hum, him still
in his bed for one—
And clouds so thick and fast
the whole sky’s turning.
21
Turning now to the newsy world the Red
Sox take last four claim pennant countries
taken in or out people counted no
count bombing voting mission killing
vision blurred our leader says God says
had hatred in his heart he said rage
testosterone he said our leader vote for God
22
God is not a Republican
Democrat Yankee Red
Sox fan of him or her—
But him is whom our bed
is holding, him my one is home
again, oh bless him keep him safe
this little time that is our life.
23
Lifetime, timeline, line-
up, down time, no time
to lose time, all time gone.
More of them, body count a full
count, bases loaded, all bets
off, one by one, or war
time