Ars Poetica
At the edge of the forest In the middle of the darkness There is a hand, As cold as copper, Like a river Stretched over wide stones. Despite the hard rocks And the furious wind I love her Like a flock of birds Or a mild herd come to drink For the exquisite rage And sleek moss of her art. There is something about a poem That is violent That is just another way to die, Each time we realize our mysteries We are weakened. When I am writing I often scatter Across a lascivious empire Of passionate flowers. They all seem so subversive Even the ones with all their clothes on They are so obsessed with the minute Implication of who they are. I believe if there is a struggle It should go on Where real lovers are. I no longer regret That I have smelted into one piece For the sake of this poem.
From Communion: Poems 1976-1998 (1999). Used by permission of Copper Canyon Press.