Three Books: Body Rags; Mortal Acts, Mortal Words; The Past Book

CONTENTS

Author’s Note vii

BODY RAGS

I

Another Night in the Ruins 5 Lost Loves 8 Getting the Mail 9 Vapor Trail Reflected in the Frog Pond 10 The Fossils 12 The Burn 14 One Who Used to Beat His Way 16 The Fly 17 The Falls 18 Mango 19 In the Anse Galet Valley 20 La Bagarcde 21 Night in the Forest 22 Going Home by Last Light 23 How Many Nights 25 Last Songs 26 In the Farmhouse 27 The Correspondence School Instructor Says Goodbye to His Poetry Students 28 The Poem 30

II

The Last River 35

III

Testament of the Thief 57 The Porcupine 62 The Bear 67

MORTAL ACTS, MORTAL WORDS

I

Fergus Falling 75 After Making Love We Hear Footsteps 77 Angling, a Day 78 Saint Francis and the Sow 81 The Choir 82 Two Set Out on Their Journey 83 Brother of My Heart 84 Fisherman 85 Wait 87

II

Daybreak 91 The Gray Heron 92 In the Bamboo Hut 93 Lava 94 Blackberry Eating 96 Kissing the Toad 97 Crying 98 Les Invalides 99 On the Tennis Court at Night 100

III

The Sadness of Brothers 105 Goodbye 109 Looking at Your Face 111 The Last Hiding Places of Snow 112 52 Oswald Street 118

IV

The Rainbow 123 The Apple 125 Memory of Wilmington 126 The Still Time 128 There Are Things I Tell to No One 130 Pont Neuf at Nightfall 133 The Apple Tree 135 A Milk Bottle 137 Flying Home 139

THE PAST

I

The Road Between Here and There 147 The Angel 149 Middle of the Night 150 Conception 151 The Sow Piglet’s Escapes 152 The Olive Wood Fire 153 Milk 154 Lake Memphremagog 155 The Man Splitting Wood in the Daybreak 156 The Frog Pond 157 The Old Life 159

II

Prayer 163 The Ferry Stopping at MacMahon’s Point 164 Mount Fuji at Daybreak 165 Break of Day 166 Farm Picture 167 Some Song 168 Coinaliste 169 Driftwood from a Ship 170 Fire in Luna Park 171 The Geese 172 The Shroud 173

III

Chamberlain’s Porch 177 Cemetery Angels 178 December Day in Honolulu 179 On the Oregon Coast 180 Last Holy Fragrance 182 The Past 186 First Day of the Future 189 The Fundamental Project of Technology 190 The Waking 192 That Silent Evening 195 The Seekonk Woods 197

Acknowledgments 203 Index 205