Maroon Canoe

o canoe, maroon canoe
over mesmeric waves we row
over an azure ionian sea
over mariners' mum communion
over icarus's un-ascension
over men-o'-war + runner missions
over ice-run ruins, over anxious cruises
over seismic omens + vesuvian ooze
we row, we row
ravenous sea, reassure me
reserve me an amnesia, caesura,
a serene unconscious ease

o canoe, maroon canoe
we row in seven rains + six monsoons
we row in summer snows
seven seasons wax + wane
we row near sorceress circe's manor
(six + seven swine nurse acorns, en masse aware)                        
we row near sirens + swoon severe
(voices immerse us, caress our ears in razor arias),
we row near mermen, oceanic emissaries on a wave
our oars announce us in murmur, in susurrous music
sonorous sea, connoisseur in snare: un-accuse, excuse me
aeonic erosion, receive me, examine + rewire
cure me + rename

a carmine sun commences an aurora, an amorous soiree
one moon arc answers in romance
orion rises + canis minor carves noir
a near aroma—some essence, some evanescence—
arouses in me remorse + reminiscence:
some once omission, some non-reunion, some
mirror version, some overcome
evasion, a misnomer, a woe, a sorrow—  o canoe,
maroon canoe, o sea swerve, o
ceremonious casanova,
o crimson sea serene,
unweave our sinuous maze, our nexus
renew me, new—no
secrecies, evasion—
a sum immersion in a now

o raw maria on moon, o unison sun,
o universe worn in unconcern,
issue a summons, convene + reconvene
+ answer me
is a souvenir a sorrow sewn
are cocoons meaner secrecies
is erasure a crime
is reverence so rare
is an error ever overcome

soon, maroon canoe; soon, reservoir severe:
a missive scriven in cruor, in rime

From Spring, published by University of Illinois Press. Copyright © 2008 by Oni Buchanan. Used with permission.