Excavations

Observations Of The Eclipse, 10 May 1994, At Midday

for D.H.Lawrence
"O build your ship of death,
for you will need it..."




The park shimmers
in a grey-silver almostlight,
a foreshadowing
of moon.
It is not enough

and so I go in deeper,
winding along paths
of half-clad trees

tracing the waters.

There is foretold a conjunction
of Mercury, Venus,
Hades, moon, planets once joined
with Neptune
at my birth

Where darkening was a sky
already twilight colored

I am going into the forest
to see
the silvering of the sun

*

Across the picnic meadow
where before me is forest
and beside me
walk
a grey goose, a white dog

the water is shining

I chart ripples, mirrors
I fashion a ship
of bark.

*

My journey
slides
deeper into
the trees

A goose cries,
flaps its wings,
diving against water
for food.

What is the time
is it time?

There is no time here,
but the time is coming -
indeed there will be time -
Time to go in deeper
into the shadow and silver
light

It is the time

It is getting brighter
I am going into the light
here
on my knees
sand crawling up flesh

It is the time

and so I make my journey
into the sun
braving the end
for a glimpse

as my eyes cringe
look up
and gaze
into
silver

*

Only a moment. One scant moment.
Was that it? I did not see
anything, really.
A blinding brightness.
A little crescent
of sun and moon
reflected through leaves.

I shake sand and twig
from my shoes
and squint against a world
burned into retina:
a mocking ring of silver,
a brilliant stream;

And alive,
in the trees,
in the lapis of sky -
I am alive as sun
as I smash a mosquito

between thumb and forefinger.

A silvery juice
is all that remains.