NOT A STEP DO I STIR UNTIL THAT CAT'S
BACK TO ITS COLOUR
civilization was pushing around aging molecules saying
"lovely . . . a new patch of lung" and "aching doesn't thank"
when a sunbeam hit my son, throwing his tiny full colour reflection
onto the centre of the flickering black and white screen
CAP
pattern outside my head
speak to me
signaller of the word-commune
i was not aware
one lonely word outside
could call itself 'snap'
.
every question you ask presupposes
an alternative universe
FROM TIME TO TIME IN THE PAST
tree lets me hear the wind
over there where it is
i won't believe this is all there is
(the interest on eternity)
'it is' squeaks my voice
.
you have to learn
you can not teach
.
i can not prove a second ago
to my own satisfaction
.
speak my language
dog
.
a turtle
a fine line
a turtle
.
if they do
what you think
it's as boring
as you thought
.
i put it
there
and it's still
there
.
moon breathe
.
slowly
through the
snow they
go
.
slavery
what
we
have
words
for
.
remember
no time
when i wasn't
SLEEP, PERCH
each clearing of the brain
needs nothing to be clear again
i don't want to listen to the same
i don't get it better twice
starve the nation
out of stagnation
wandering the earth
a civil war ahead of the traffic
______________________
Tom Raworth
Tottering State
selected and new poems 1963-1983
The Figures, 1984
