from “Superliminare”

1.

the man is tying the woman’s shoe

in the street

who smiles                     at that

the household gods

I’m walking home today hello you

look so happy

                           yes, it’s nice

nice             and how it colors all these faces

for now from here

         is a

         shaped

         christmas in the universe

         in September

native to this system

o nativity

as tree is climbing

         lack and lackless sky

so terrifying

         out of

2.

afraid like my animal

my heart darting

around in the cavity of my body

should you see it

(the seal on the country of souls)

you’ll know like the shambles

the inspectors are vague

to auditor emperor father hovering

in aether (which knocks you out now)

(now whistles with signals)

we never can rest

except always

we always can fly

except

terror and love are my own

I unleash them

3.

the figure study hampered

glossed in spirits of artichoke

craning tables with mug on its

peoples every darling

         a birdman

cranky saint

saint with hand on crank

charge the well wage the world

like pully (through-tenon)

this radial steel-belted radial

two to radiant

         compose deeds as you

would have those who trespass

front-wheel-drive

         compose those who tresxpass

as you                           Zuk: a test of poetry

no trigger

         doctor, explodeyerself

4.

as long as the cooling in wide-spring salt having /cave/ on the cavity

in the morning of this 200th day of my 31st; dreamt as this is the autumn

of the people’s calendar they, crying out the banners, drive the slick

roads beside me – the muskrat median sinking to these beriberi roots (or)

this classical hell (cavernous and candlelit, a place reserved for me and my

friends). I may return from lunch for lunch snarfed on the run to tasks

cleaning the universe of stables of the university. I may rage against the

hour hand s/he rules with a shot-glass of shavings and kiss my good wife

before incredible journeys

5.

we swim in underwear

@ roadside lodges

screwing salt into the threads

for what we come to

knows us by

and by

the rotting railings

raining in the future

our birds are bathing

o draw a bath my dear

dra b y ear

o r d ar ing

inin in

e ro s

hat e me

wing s to

t e lo s

im in we

6.

the long lie of summons

conning formats

I’m making / up the work

in strips

all fall long

you in the hypocriticon

“back then they didn’t feel”

the sky run down the back

with cape and cutlass

that being in a body

has a sin

& cosin

for history of

the rot

7.

@ the funeral home

kentucky plates

         a kentuckian

is dying

whose politics are

banal as well

as I am like my marriage

which is like

a good war that

is an

idea

waged again

                                    may I

compare us to a sacrifice

         I shall

for good

         be groaning

the conviction

withdraw so to project

part touching

         y/our doorway

8.

walk away

the red stripe

is an opening

on a growling joy

that’s ‘painterly’

         that’s hanging from the tree

         as imitation in the

smokies

mine of series

moon of solace

fruit of the tree               |

fruit of the floor              | the seeds

shuddering on the floor   |

we break my darling

but

         © Aaron McCollough 2003

Aaron McCollough’s first book, Welkin (Ahsahta Press 2003), won the Sawtooth Poetry Prize, judged by Brenda Hillman. His second book, Double Venus, is forthcoming from Salt Publishing. McCollough also edits an online poetry journal called GutCult at http://www.gutcult.com