>>>>>>>>>>>>>

he has three birds
cut up in his chest cavity
the blue, the red, the green
left there by his wandering grandfather
whose family the ocean had never come from before
and the long chain of shells lovers punch into their walks
and the rasping curls of wind left there

she and the river take
the stems of conflagrated forests
on the sinews of a last ride
toss his condom'd soul into the powerlines
past fall and the fundraiser for cancer
supermarket banner grinning
kids imposed on airplane hangars
clothed in paint and filled with pine
the cloud is a soldier falling
who doesn't want to live this close to life