Shreds of Windows

Tony Baker

SHREDS OF WINDOWS

From red to green all the yellow fades
In the primary forests when the parrots sing
Innards of inwards
There’s a poem to be made about the bird with one wing
We’ll send it by e-mail
Trauma enorme
It makes the eyes water         Look at her
That pretty girl there amongst the young Turin ladies
The unlucky young man wiped his nose on his white cravat
You’ll lift up the curtain
& there it is              the cobwebful window
Opening out
As hands went threading through the light
Beauty pallor unfathomable violets
We’ll try in vain to get some rest
Starting at midnight
When you’ve the time    you’ve the freedom
Winkles    Burbot     Sun-doublings
                          & the sea-urchin of evening
In front of the window a pair of old yellow shoes
Towers
The towers   these are the streets
Wells
Wells    these are the squares
Wells
Hollow trees
                      sheltering the sun’s wandering goddesses
Man-goats
                      singing to the woman-goats
Brown airs to die for
And the ga-ga of the the goose-honks coming from the north
Where the racoon-hunters rake clean their skins
Sparkling diamond
Vancouver
Where the train of white snows and of night-fires is fleeing from winter
O Paris
From red to green all the yellow is fading
Paris   Vancouver   Hyères   Maintenon   New York   and the Caribbean
Like an orange the window
Opening out     the beauty of the light     the fruit

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