steve dalachinsky - the sign - for elizabeth murray

the sign - for elizabeth murray


beautiful nite
with the breeze at about maximum
just before becoming a wind
if it were winter
it'd be freezing

i lift my arms to catch the sunset
schooner crosses its path circles
crosses again
stops momentarily
basks/fixed
i change glasses to see if i can make out
the people on board
lots of 'em
once sunday became monday
i felt that your pain might be stopped
quickly by some-
thing stronger than morphine

sun's almost down
breeze rustles my shirt sleeves
becomes wind for an instant
if this were winter......

sign becomes symbol becomes sign
ice cream prayer & departed
( shared experience: uprooted tree )
wished i knew more than a dinner & a ride
new puppy
yes,
this definitely has to be considered a wind
right now
already since last week the sun's been leaving us
1/2 hr. earlier
drinking more water than usual / lapping sounds
you've shed your skin ink
hands the color of forms funny story books
at last the warm dust has settled on the sparks of your foundation
damn bldings i'll never really get to see the entire sun as it settles
down
the wind's become a breeze again
distinction of usage of symbol language bubbles
body stretching out on railng yawning -
barbed with great suffering i whisper "don't jump"

in my search for words i borrow from the book
i'm leaning on
a poet's trick so i've been told
signbecomesymbolbecomesign again UFO!
crossing the bottom of the bottom
beautiful charms / aching heads / meaningful jokes
painted weather born from maps
don't jump the concrete floorboards thump
is there an echo out there?

the sign on the pier says NO CASTING -
as symbol this can mean no actors wanted here
the sun for instance
now at the bottom of the river
gone to another place where it belongs
the edges of the cloud crinkling up
like the embered edges of a burning sheet
of paper.

steve dalachinsky hudson sunset 8/13/07