|
She inhales stars until
she is light-filled
and can bat-wing above the dark earth.
Another out-of-body sequence and
her flanks fur, throat chuffs, tail grows.
As a fish changes color when it fins from light
into shadow or a chameleon on a twig she
stretches herself on a Persian carpet until
she absorbs its bright and dusky tones,
its curlicues, swags, and feathered wreaths
and is invisible to those who come for her.
Below the high dam, the real Abu-Simbil lies.
Below the sea, the lighthouse of Pharos.
There are worlds, too — under lava, under ice —
where no tree falls and no sound is heard.
What is hidden will not again be visible. She
seeks refuge in these places: angles of repose
where salmon turn to seagulls and a hand
may, to infinity, hold a pen and draw itself.
Copyright © 1999
Susan Terris
All Rights Reserved |
|
