Momenta

I. Silver apple of the moon Laying prostrate on the lake Silver apple of the moon Smooth, un-moved, unmarred by wake Lean down, finger The bright skin – It peels. Linger, A flicker of flocking moths congeals within. II. An old maternal willow With rheumatic roots Leans low Over the water, tilts Its fretting yellow Mane, covers the deep & heart-shaped hollow III The ocean is dark And settles like onyx iron These are the hardest surfaces In a ship’s journey: A starless sky, an engine Sobbing in a distant room, Thoughts, objects without shape; A nauseated heart leaning over Memory’s rail