"The Maze"

       I saw the
       dead bird on the sidewalk
       his neck uncovered
       and prehistoric

    At seven in the morning
       my hair was bound
       against the fish in the air
       who begged for the ocean
       I longed for their place
    Behind the
       tall thin muslin of the curtain
       we could see his shadow
       knocking
       and we waited
       not stirring
       crouched by the fireplace
        where the ashes blew out

      later we checked the harbor
      to see if it was safe
      rather hoping
      one had gone astray
      and flunk itself upon the shore
      for all to watch

    If I should weep
      they would never know

      and so I walked
      silently
      shrugging off hands
      in treacherous places
      wanting to fall

      In Williamsburg, Virginia

      my uncle
      pointed out the Maze
      which grew
      in the dead
      governor's garden

      delighted

      I went to it

      and stood
      poised

      inside the
      precise
      entrance
      like a long hallway
      the tightly trimmed
      bushes
      held themselves
      pointing each
      leaf
      and twig
      in an unquestioning manner

      white gravel
      caressed my feet

      the sky disappeared
      and I
      could hear
      the sound of water
      rushing

      I knew each corner
      without pausing

      Held captive in a cave
      Ulysses
      sobbed for his wife
      who was singing high

      melodies
      from the center of a
      cobweb shawl
      of their design

      three feathers
      I picked
      from a stone
      in my path

      and turning at last
      I saw
      the speckled bench
      and halting fountain
      which marked
      the end.

      She

      tortures
    the curtains of the window
      shreds them
      like some
      insane insect
    creates a
            demented web
      from the thin folds
      her possessed fingers
      clawing she
    thrusts them away with
    sharp jabs     of long pins
    to the walls.

        1958




    reprinted from The Tapesty and The Web, Four Seasons Foundation, 1965