AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF TASKS TO 
BE COMPLETED OR NOT COMPLETED

breathe in hard the double-edge sunrise
explode my throat into a bubble of mirrors

dangle with cranes from the hooks of the air
tie back the wind and braid sand in your hair

split the lip of the night on the moon's bony knee
hold tight to the jaw that howls for the light

be alone be gone be caught be free
become becalm be you be me

retreat no more from the heart's insistence
complete the holy and be wholly incomplete

mark every sob and not resist them
vomit with owls the bones of contention

plow water and sow wind
reap rain and thunder

greet lovers with rattling hooves
herd red buffalos into the branches of trees

rise up on two legs and kiss the dancers
moving in pairs to a turtle shell waltz

round my belly around the round of your belly
get lost in the black and found in the sparkle

drink from the cup of springs rising
from the red and pearl clots of love

tell the untold not from the forced voice
but natural as salt dissolved and burned from the tongue

count the mala beads of sweat and nipples
strung rib to rib and navel to navel

ride the bus to wherever it ends
fly paper planes across the aisle

love the backs of heads and the one on my shoulder
count the white feathers in a magpie's wing

build a nest of skin with bones of caliche
shape water and maize without molding the clay

love without ego    engage joy without clinging
feel without pity    balance without numbing

gather no more wood
tend the fire to nothing

the coals cold and gone    leave
a handful of ash for the roots of grass



© 2000 by Richard W. Todd

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