[Verse]
             
and there was 

          
a booming abov

e you
            
that night, bl

              
ack airplanes 

    
flew over the 

sea
             
and they were 

              
lowing and shi

       
fting like
beached whales
      
shelled snails
              
as you straine

         
d and you squi

nted to see
            
the retreat of

              
 their hairles

       
s and blind ca

valry
          
you froze in y

        
our sand shoal
           
prayed for you

r poor soul
            
sky was a brea

            
d roll, soakin

      
g in a milk-bo

wl
           
and when the b

            
read broke, fe

             
ll in bricks o


f wet smoke
             
my sleeping he

           
art woke, and 

           
my waking hear

t spoke
             
then there was

              
 a silence you

            
 took to mean 

something:
             
mean, run, sin

  
g
              
for alive you 

            
will evermore 

       
be
             
and the plague

              
 of the greasy

              
 black engines


 a-skulkin'
        
has gone east
              
while you're l

         
eft to explain

 them to me
            
released from 

              
their hairless

      
 and blind cav

alry
          
with your hand

             
s in your pock

            
ets, stubbily 


running
            
to where I'm u

            
nfresh, undres

     
sed and yawnin

g
           
well, what is 

             
this craziness

         
? this crazy t

alking?
             
you caught som

           
e small death 

           
when you were 

sleepwalking
            
it was a dark 

            
dream, darlin'

       
, it's over
            
the firebreath

            
er is beneath 

  
the clover
            
beneath his br

             
eathing there 

             
is cold clay, 

    
forever
            
a toothless ho

            
und-dog chokin

       
g on a feather
           
but I took my 

           
fishingpole (f

            
earing your fe

ver)
          
down to the sw

            
imminghole, wh

              
ere there grow

     
s a bitter her

b
           
that blooms bu

             
t one day a ye

            
ar by the rive

              
rside - I'd br

         
ing it here:
        
   apply it ge

ntly
            
to the love yo

    
u've lent me
             
  while the ri

              
ver was twisti

              
ng and braidin

 
g, the bait bo

bbed
             
and the string

             
 sobbed, as it

              
 cut through t

            
he hustling br

         
eeze  
             
  and I watche

              
d how the wate

              
r was kneading

   
 so neatly
             
gone treacly


              
nearly slowed 

      
to a stop in t

his heat
            
- frenzy coili

              
ng flush along

            
 the muscles b

    
eneath
           
press on me: w

            
e are restless


 things
           
webs of seawee

            
d are swaddlin

  
g
            
you call upon 

     
the dusk
            
of the musk of

  
 a squid
           
shot full of i

             
nk, until you 

             
sink into your


 crib
           
rowing along, 

            
among the reed

             
s, among the r

ushes
           
I heard your s

              
ong, before my

             
 heart had tim

   
e to hush it!
           
smell of a sto

              
ne fruit being

            
 cut and being

 
 opened
           
smell of a low

             
 and of a lazy

      
 cinder smokin

g
             
and when the f

            
ire moves away

   
  
           
fire moves awa

  
y, son
            
why would you 

      
say
           
I was the last

      
 one?

           
scrape your kn

            
ee; it is only


 skin
           
makes the soun

          
d of violins
            
when I cut you

             
r hair, and le

            
ave the birds 

          
all of the tri

mmings
            
I'm the happie

             
st woman among

  
 all women!
   
and the shallo

w

water
              
stretches as f

        
ar as I can se

e
            
knee-deep, tru

     
dging along
            
a seagull weep

      
s; "so long"
  
   humming a t

hreshing song
    
until the nigh

t is over
hold on!
hold on!

hold your hors

es back from t

he fickle dawn
 
I have got som

e business out

 at the edge o

f town

candy weighing

 both of my po

ckets down
        
'til I can har

dly stay afloa

t, from the we

ight of them
    
(and knowing h

ow the common-

folk condemn

what it is I d

o, to you, to 

keep you warm

being a woman,

 being a woman

)
   
but always up 

the mountainsi

de you're clam

bering

  groping blin

dly, hungry fo

r anything

picking throug

h your pocket 

linings - well

, what is this

?
            
  scrap of sas

  
safras, eh Sis

yphus?
  
I see the blos

soms broke and

 wet after the

 rain

little sister,

 he will be ba

ck again
 
I have washed 

a thousand spi

ders down the 

drain

  spiders ghos

ts hang soaked

 and dangeling

silently from 

all the bloomi

ng cherry tree

s
  
in tiny nooses

, safe from ev

eryone
        
- nothing but 

a nuisance; go

ne now, dead a

nd done
          
be a woman, be

 a woman!
      
though we felt

 the spray of 

the waves
              
we decided to 

              
stay 'til the 

           
tide rose too 

          
far  
            
we weren't afr

              
aid, 'cause we

 
 know what you

 are
              
and you know t

              
hat we know wh

                  
at you are  
awful atoll
             
- o, incalcula

             
ble indiscreet

         
ness and sorro


w
bawl, bellow:  
            
Sibyl sea-cow,

              
 all done up i

          
n a bow 

toddle and roll;
             
teeth an impal


pable bit of l

eather
      
while yarrow, 


heather and ho

llyhock
           
awkwardly molt

         
 along the sho

re
              
are you mine?

 
            
my heart?     

 
mine anymore?
                         

stay with me for a while
              
that's an awfu

             
lly real gun
              
I know life wi

              
ll lay you dow

  
n
              
as the lightni

              
ng has lately 

     
done
              
failing this, 

   
failing this,
             
follow me, my 

   
sweetest frien

d
             
to see what yo

           
u anointed in 

              
pointing your 


gun there

lay it down! n

ice and slow!
             
there is nowhe

              
re to go, save

 
 up
              
up where the l

              
ight, undilute

            
d, is weaving 

          
in a drunk dre

am
              
at the sight o

            
f my baby, out

           
 back
              
back on the pa

            
tio watching t

             
he bats bring 

      
night in
              
while, elsewhe

            
re, estuaries 

             
of wax-white
             
wend, endlessl

            
y, towards sea

              
shores unmappe

  
d
           
last week our 

             
picture window

           
 produced a ha

    
lf-word
            
heavy and holl

           
ow, hit by a b


rown bird
          
we stood and w

             
atched her gap

         
e like a rattl

esnake
            
and pant and l

            
abour over eve

 
ry intake
           
I said a sort 

             
of prayer for 

              
some sort of r


are grace
             
then thought I

           
 ought to take

          
 her to a high

er place
             
said: "dog nor

           
 vulture nor c

             
at shall toy w

ith you
             
and though you

           
 die, bird, yo

              
u will have a 


fine view"
        
then in my hot

 hand
            
she slumped he

 
r sick weight
           
we tramped thr

    
ough the poiso

n oak
            
heartbroke and

 
 inchoate
           
the dogs were 


snapping
            
so you cuffed 

      
their collars
           
while I clibme

 
d the tree-hou

se
         
then how I hol

lered!
           
cause she'd la

             
in, as still a

              
s a stone, in 

            
my palm, for a

             
 lifetime or t


wo
             
 then, saw the

           
 treetops, coc

              
ked her head a

   
nd up and flew

 away and
          
back in the wo

     
rld that moves

, often
            
according to t

              
he hoarding of

       
 these clues
           
dogs still run

   
 roughly aroun

d
            
little tufts o

       
f finch-down)
             
and the cities

              
 we passed wer

              
e a flickering


 wasteland
            
but his hand i

              
n my hand made

            
 them hale and

            
 harmless
              
while down in 

              
the lowlands t

              
he crops are a

   
ll coming
             
we have everyt

hing
              
life is thunde

     
ring blissful 

towards death
            
in a stampede 

              
of his fumblin

            
g green gentle

 
ness
           
you stopped by

           
, I was all al

ive
           
in my doorway,

            
 we shucked an

   
d jived
             
and when you w

            
ept, I was gon

      
e:
            
see, I got gon

              
e when I got w


ise
            
but I can't wi

           
th certainty s

         
ay we survived
            
then down, and

   
 down
              
and down, and 

   
down
              
and down, and 

  
deeper
            
stoke without 

  
sound
              
the blameless 

  
flames
           
you endless sl

eeper
            
through fire b

             
elow, and fire

            
 above, and fi

      
re within
            
sleeped throug

             
h the things t

              
hat couldn't h

             
ave been if yo

        
u hadn't have 

been
             
and when the f

         
ire moves away
           
fire moves awa

    
y, son
            
why would you 

      
say
           
I was the last

  
 one?
           
all my bones t

            
hey are gone, 

     
gone, gone
           
take my bones,

             
 I don't need 

 
none
           
cold, cold cup

            
board, Lord, n

              
othing to chew

 
 on!
           
suck all day o

           
n a cherry sto

ne
            
dig a little h

           
ole, not three

       
 inches round
           
spit your pit 

             
in the hole in

      
 the ground
            
weep upon the 

           
spot for the s

          
tarving of me!
            
till up grow a

            
 fine young ch

    
erry tree
            
well when the 

             
bough breaks, 

            
what'll you ma

       
ke for me?
            
a little willo

             
w cabin to res

          
t on your knee
           
what'll I do w

            
ith a trinket 

         
such as this?
            
think of your 

             
woman, who's g

           
one to the wes

t
            
but I'm starvi

             
ng and freezin

            
g in my measly

      
 old bed!
            
then I'll craw

             
l across the s

              
alt flats to s

             
troke your swe

   
et head
            
come across th

             
e desert with 

       
no shoes on!
           
I love you tru

             
ly, or I love 

  
no-one
   
fire
moves
away
              
fire moves awa

   
y, son
why would you say
              
I was the last

   
 one?  
          
Last one.. 
clear the room! there's a fire, a fire, a fire
              
get going, and

              
 I'm going to 

            
be right behin

         
d you
             
and if the lov

              
e of a woman o

                
r two, dear,
             
couldn't move 

              
you to such he

              
ights, then al

 
l I can do
            
is do, my darl

          
ing, right by 

you