three things about idaho
Saturday, July 11th, 20091. false solomon’s seal, 2. trembling aspen (me), 3. vulture (you). the fourth thing is mixing metaphors, but it doesn’t get its own poem.
x
grit-mouth creep-sigg i slink
a clam slurping through sand
and it has not rained
dust-soil pulses up dry,
coats the throat.
work the jaw, squint
gasping through gills
slabs of air
layered, still,
and it has not rained
x
i am streaked with
soot
and dog slobber,
red-bellied turtle slime
and ax grime,
beet-juice bruises
stain my legs
and thick
summer snows of pollen
light sleepily onto my hair
x
mica rock words split and flake
and fall
and, wedged there,
bloom like spores in dark places