May Swenson White Poems
- 1. Strawberrying
My hands are murder-red. Many a plump head
drops on the heap in the basket. Or, ripe
to bursting, they might be hearts, matching
the blackbirds's wing-fleck. Gripped to a reed
... - 2. Landing On The Moon
When in the mask of night there shone that cut,
we were riddled. A probe reached down
and stroked some nerve in us,
as if the glint from a wizard's eye, of silver,
... - 3. Fountains Of Aix
Beards of water
some of them have.
Others are blowing whistles of water.
Faces astonished that constant water
... - 4. The Shape Of Death
What does love look like? We know
the shape of death. Death is a cloud
immense and awesome. At first a lid
is lifted from the eye of light:
... - 5. Staying At Ed's Place
I like being in your apartment, and not disturbing anything.
As in the woods I wouldn't want to move a tree,
or change the play of sun and shadow on the ground.
... - 6. Blue
Blue, but you are Rose, too,
and buttermilk, but with blood
dots showing through.
A little salty your white
... - 7. October
1
A smudge for the horizon
that, on a clear day, shows
the hard edge of hills and
... - 8. The Lowering
The flag is folded
lengthwise, and lengthwise again,
folding toward the open edge,
so that the union of stars on the blue
...
