MAP OF LIGHT

Cosmic micro- 
wave back ground 
 appears as ancient 
light imprinted 
on the sky from 

When the universe 
was about three
hundred and  seventy
thousand years old

Today 
faint traces 
of  ancient light 
yet linger upon our 
eyes and remarkably 
it appears not evenly 
spread out across 
our  universe 

Extremely small 
fluctuations 
in this shroud 
of light which 
make it appear 
to be clotted 
are in fact   
seeds from 
which grew 
the galaxies 
we see about 
our self today

The universe 
began in a hot
dense state which
exploded outward 
at a rate exceeding 
the speed of light  

Then it began 
to cool even
as it continued
to expand and 

Now here 
we are
to day

LAZARUS TAXA

for Lucius Shepard


It doesn't matter how much attention one pays if grim extinction comes for them 
And we all got here for free--without paying attention 
I suggest we all enjoy the ride while it's still happening 
In fact, the skins shed from extinction have
been torn off our own back like a fuse
trailing behind us--a comet's tail
if you will--and even if you won't
agree or clearly see what I do see
a glacier evaporates slow
as it forms and you know
when they're finally gone
nobody shall
compare one
to the buried
analogy
of these
burning
humans
from
here
on
up
.

MARCH TWENTIETH

It's the first day of spring

and death is in the air

The box car is full

and slowly departs

Crammed with weary

old friends taking their

motivations with them

Into strange darkness

streaming down river

The moon's sole

reflection white

Upon the surface

wave letting apart

Into well synchronized

angel moth wings

In motion appearing

just to say goodbye

NIGHTBAILER

for Bill Knott 

Our lives' strange trajectories 
have been laid bare here 
while I stare in shock 
at the lines dancing 
drowned in artificial
light, why it was only
8 days ago that I stood
in Mountain View Park
(a quite un-euphemistic 
way of rubbing our nose
in it, don't you think?)
and witnessed for myself
for the very first time
an entire flock of colored
balloons scrawled upon
with various Sharpee markers
messages like "On the wings
of angels, SYOTOS, I love
you Doug" while Neil Diamond's
"Coming To America" played
and we all stared up at the
flock of helium balloons
as they became smaller 
and smaller until they
precisely resembled a
swarm of human sperm
flung Egg-Sunward
I even took the opportunity
to casually mention the beauty
of this sight to the Mormon Bishop
standing beside me, "He's off
to a new life, just like your speech,"
I said while his back stiffened
I've been biting my nails all day
before I learned online 
on facebook that you 
had at long last gone
to sleep with your hands
crossed on your chest
looking as though you
are flying into yourself.