Falling at exactly the same time

the down and come-down of the same golden hoard the red endings, skitterings into mulch,

racing toward the cold, the white takeover,

the silence of crows, days given over to heat,

the fire in front of my eyes, and behind me my mother, and behind her, her mother and all of us moving into the same frosted autumn air

the procession even, and a shadow

for each of us as we walk,

a shadow to make us disappear and a shadow to make us larger than life

and the cloud moves into green

(what was given suddenly bends again

toward earth) red everywhere:

leaves, farewells, fur, hallways

and the quiet sleep all wrapped up and covered over some say protected, touching the salt-seed,

the kernal knowledge, lost towns,

treats, windows, bakeries,

groceria, hands touching tokens,

tokens turning silver in the dusk-light,

the salt carrying us over and over

into remnants, and larger portions, now behind me a glimpse of glass, the boss leaving home and mary, little lamb all tumble down,

sing a song of six

particles, salt

in the wind

and ever

so shy

ly stir

wish slip and heaven

the red place a hunch

an approach and more eating stuffed towered over

a trampoline heaving

a fine line

fire lane

a lingering

huffing

let up, let up

we were only asking for spring a spring sparing no one

silk whispers in all our parts,

in the blinds, behind the partitions, windows going up, tulip-knowledge, spring

board into green flood, narcissus,

pop of blossom, kiss in the moist suck,

eels and the watering stones, mortuary and the dark cloths, dirt fill hole

prayer and oh no

oh ho and yay oh

mourning and swaying

cover recover the baby the warming of flowers

the flowing of salt unveiling of stone

the bleeding of hours, the warning of seed-law,

ritual endings return to the natural weathers

winsome and glowing handsome and feathers

heavy all day assuming and roving dozing in sun-high

late spring of the mud day the dog day

spring into summer like velvet like salt talk like fucking and licking

sluicing

god mud

mud and the sweet pig

tomorrow sweet mama blazes and ointment

oaxaca the oranges market the turn in the here-spin factory noon place dark weight the fulcrum beginning and flying home into knowing

the fleeing and crawling and dying

the lifting and rising the raining and shining

the breathing and drying the owning family salt unfolding the light

sifting and spreading dreaming and shifting

family salt unfolding the light family salt unfolding the light

Elizabeth McKim