Incantation

It burns me, the memory of that day –

            Like a forgotten image

            Jerked from behind my eyes.

From the window, we watched the night die.

The stars were iridescent raindrops on black glass.

And you looked at me with the mouth of solitude.

And I licked our sour blood from your lips –

            Lips devoured before they were kissed,

            Lips devoured with devotion.

And you built me a nest inside your heart –

            A nest in which to guard my tears.

And I looked at you with the mouth of solitude.

And you avoided the eyes of dying me –

            Like they were chips of glass from an accident

            You wanted to pretend you did not see.

There was no room for worship

            With the coming of morning.

And I had no gloves with which

            To grip the treadless night.

With sanitary eyes,

            We watched the sun rise

            And wash the heavens in

                        Blood and mercury and iodine.

And at noon, alone,

            A paradox without illusions,

            I gulped the white sky of July

                        From my open window.

and on the air fine dust trembled

and on the window ledge the sparrows fought for crumbs

and in my stomach your fire burned blue

And at dusk, the light faltered,

            Allowing one thousand darknesses.

But your light is unfaltering,

            World without end.