from The Living 
Robert Fernandez

* 

In time, I am not sold, I am January
          I am treasuring the smear of marrow
          on the rear-view mirror 
I can lay them down 
on this bed of white light
lay them 
          filled to the eyes
          with water
(across banded sky,
an eye of cloud, 
          circling
          vultures)
across banded sky,
thermal columns,
          a colony 
          of vultures
on this bed of white light 
     the solution
     to effort
colt’s legs needling 
     (the legs hemming 
     a dais) 

* 

glory of the girls
of the early morning
be not afraid

          angels of early morning,
          red roe dotting
          the bone

glory of
the early morning
& of the effortless passage 

          sometimes my
          shoulders split
          & I say

sometimes
the red, disheveled mop
of my heart

          hysterically, 
          lithely human 

O ground meat
of the light,

          red and stinging,
          O children 
          of early morning 

* 

I am desiring us
be all fall calls
all clarity
as form and waiting
be all desert-
er, sand between the falls
such a voice it is as if
I have eyes, it is as if
welted plaited draining
it is as if
Holy Roman Emperor
& the delicate jealous
& the delicate brain
be all folds or sortals
of luminous-grained raiment
it is the first gnosis
fist host been but eye can see
it is the chapter of hammers
of froms
of planes 

* 

slow ward
of my own brand
of this vein of hope
(purple
vein becomes a blouse,
sheer
billowing)
vein of hope
slitting
purple coins (spread
of gills)
whom shall I flatter?
crush of
purple dust
in the sinuses,
crushed blowfish
liver turns the eyes
silver

* 

the shopping
cart

crumbles into a welter,
crushed like wicker

(strands of purple silk
are poisoning the trees)

strands of purple silk
are drawn across the eyes

the man-o-war filaments
are drawn across the trees

(the trees are stung)

the hips, the stomach:
a basket of silver apples

(a basket of purple apples)
the clearest light breaks

into purple strands,
living strands are

suddenly clear purple
there was a world

& for a moment
there was a world

there was a world
& silos still-
ly in the distance