David Hadbawnik

The Lacy Notes ­ Remains

(1-4: Tao Te Ching)

1.

He expectorate stillness. Corpsy grinning,
       angling at the edges
              hands fish fingers
with cold-blooded feeling.
       Coming down rain hard.
A violence of grass blades.
       Honking duck lost null
               where to wait no the
       handles of scales, wobbles,
listen to we finger these emptinesses,
       so out there I go fall down.
              Bela Lugosi came after
       a scrawl of cape,
              from the belltower, came next
into sand hour don't matter no
       just do it, bludgeon him
bury me down. Down Christians
       groaning from God jaws
       an immaculate failure.
              Wait ­ go higher ­ no
besmattering down wanders silver sounded
       through bottom clouds on
a wince of tongue. Slicing razor
sharp hair standing on end
       suicide from the back of the neck.

2. Troobar

The canvas banged walls through
       table
a reflection no one there
       to fell, see, sphinctering loneliness
like gulping air. Fish on the silvery
       curb. No hair.
He got ­ no hair. Edgeless silence
a rube walking into the alley
pockets full hands money
       that guy's packing some heat!
Eliminate interference between
       hand and heart,
              break the crack
       empty the emptiness,
              pluck secret from shadow
make speak. Goldenrod.
       Don't go against grain
of line shatter very
carefully liquefy forms
alchemize silence
             pause-
into sighs.
              Look what the cat
dragged in. No, as was,
plunge into grease engine
            kick begin,
world begin here's lead in
            your eye,
cut wood, jerk,
             response
no can't mother upside down

3.

just listen awhile. plunge in, hirsute
wilderness, ripe minds falling
pleasure bra soup
              my darling under the dead
bird's wing
              flying pleasantly
no gone fish in brick pavement
                      pondering pier
left elbow in madrigal
             19th century wanton
             appetite for fish
                          still living in hands-
O, the hangman's here

 

4.

all gone narrow
            bleak with pages
swans ripped from skies
            dissolving in flight in
water wander beaks
into woman's cleft sunrise
                  explain stop, go back cowdung
tried to hurt me, pure silver
ears escape into liquid
                  imagining heavens of anguish
noise, nose hair, nowhere
skeptical all moon shadow
            all in one emotion he
                       hated listened loved
backtracked, booned kite blister
             improbably sky,
verbs with no ending,
             not yet

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