Sonnet for Constellation of Black Swans


Another river swollen with the feet
of swans who failed to migrate
to a lake.

Floods my sleep, floods against stars
burned into blackness. Space
is a cold thing,

but this water, even farther from the sun,
is colder. Only the fear of freedom
keeps it flowing.

They should have known the forecast,
their feet now frozen but not
their blood.

Alive in quiet destruction
and unmoving.



Cycles

Another brown body
hits the dust, / and our cries
dance,


Dust

I fell down in a heap / of my murdered youth and yelped


A Father Encourages

came up for breath only once / came up to speak only once / came up herself only once,