I felt like a raven going on revelation alone.
Deep forest I was in deep forest chased.
In my mouth-hole was an alarm clock.
I couldn’t stand the ticking.
The earliest I ever set was 3 for an airplane,
4 for a pill, 5 to write fast without thinking
but generally I do without.
Orpheus, in disgust, threw his alarm clock
into the river where it went on ringing.
Time is honey so the clock buzzes.
Naked beside me! Naked beside me!
Da Vinci’s sketch of an alarm clock—
still not fully understood.
Voice command.
Croak coax.
The wind blows the curtains
making it easier for ghosts to appear.
Clank of the lightning factory, clank
of the leopard’s leash.
There is no pleasure like leaving
before dawn in last night’s clothes.
Light snow or thick dew in the grass—
no one’s passed this way before.
The note you left needed only a few words,
no explanation where lies could creep in.
Your eyes, blinked clear, won’t squint or glance off,
it’s the stars that turn their faces away.
He or she is or is not the one you love
and you cannot stay. The dark
turns to mist and the mist cannot stay
but for once there’s no need for alarm.
You’re getting a good head start.
Maybe the world isn’t made of dust.
May be you won’t make another mistake.
You’re as young as you’ll ever be.