Hinge & Sign: Poems, 1968–1993

Contents

Contents Preface xiii after Rilke xvii New Poems (1987-1993) i What He Thought 3 Acts of God 5 I. Tornado 5 II. Lightning 6 Window: Thing as Participle 7 Curve 9 Dry Time 10 Seal ii Two-Legged 13 Fast 14 Coming 15 Glimpse of Main Event 16 My Shepherd 17 Untitled 19 The Woman Who Laughed on Calvary 20 Eastport 23 Well Z4 Unguent 26 Some Kind of Pine 27 Numberless 29 To Go 31 Connubial 33 Prothalamion 34 The Size of Spokane 36 Auto 38 Better or Worse 39 Two St. Petersburgs 41 White Mind and Roses 43 Scenes from a Death 45 vu J2 Adults (1990) 51 Uncollected Poems (1975-1986) 63 Postcard from Provincetown 65 Circus 66 Sebastian's Mirror 67 A 68 Just Man 69 Live 71 Five Threes (Fast Bike) 72 Two Holidays 73 A Night in a World 75 For a Sad God 76 The Song Calls the Star Little 77 Faith 79 Kind of Poor 80 For a Good Man 81 Lifelike 82 Disappearee's Song 83 The Act 84 Where 85 Household 86 To a Christian 87 A Hurricane Can Cast 88 Denomination 89 Literal 90 Poems from Dangers (1968—1977) 01 Spectacles 93 Orbit 94 Pupil 95 Preferences 96 In Praise of Pain 97 The Score 98 Ozone 99 To See the Light 100 A Few Licks 101 Tendencies 102 Gig at Big Al's 103 viii Contents The Most 104 Outcry 105 Fable 106 Patronage 107 Double Agent 108 Politics no Fix in Excerpt from an Argument with Enthusiasts, Concerning Inspiration 113 Reservation 114 Against a Dark Field 115 Debtors' Prison Road 116 It is 70 degrees in late November. Opening a window, you nearly know 117 Stroke 118 Solitary's Solace in the Natural Sciences 119 Poems from A World of Difference (1977-1981) 121 The Field 1x3 The House 124 Like 125 The Fall 126 At a Loss 127 Mind 128 Meantime 129 Blue Streak 130 Meaning Business 131 Confessionist 132 Impressionist 133 Whoosh 135 Stall 136 Hag 137 High Jinx 138 North Island Songs 139 Language Lesson 1976 141 Toward an Understanding 142 Inside 144 Form 145 Syllables 146 The Nymph to Narcissus 147 Contents ix When the Future is Black 148 Message at Sunset for Bishop Berkeley 149 Breath 150 Poems from To the Quick (1981—1987) 151 Four Poems after Rilke 153 The Amenities 155 In a World of Taking, the Mistake 157 Two Loves 158 The Trouble with "In" 159 Spot in Space and Time 161 I Knew I'd Sing 163 Constructive 164 To God or Man 165 Bear in English 166 Animal Song 168 Take Care 169 What Could Hold Us 170 Point of Origin 172 To the Quick 173 Bar and Grill 174 A Physics 175 Big Ideas Among Earthlings 176 Or Else 177 The Ghost 178 What Poems Are For 179 The Matter Over 180 Poems from Shades (1981-1988) 181 Mox Nox 183 20-200 on 747 184 What Hell Is 186 Unspeakable 188 Inflation 191 The Lyricist's Lament 192 The Oven Loves the TV Set 193 Who Made Her 195 Earthmoving Malediction 197 Hole Filler 198 ID 199 To Have To 200 x Contents Not a Sin 201 Spilled 202 Hard 204 Melted Money 205 Stairwell 206 Labor 207 The Typewriter's the Kind 208 Place Where Things Got 209 Round Time 211 Shades 213 Thought of Night 214 From 20,000 Feet 215 Acknowledgments 217 Contents xi This page intentionally left blank ...