Three Poems
Talvikki Ansel
Tree List
1. Carob
Tree of the musky pods split open,
of almond-shaped leaflets, taut skin,
the Cooper's Hawk picking off a fat pigeon
in the bank parking lot,
tree of bread, tree of milk crates
out back of the restaurant,
tree of the bakery, of the academy of dance
of the skeleton in the chiropractor's office,
tree of sugar, tree of protein.
2. Monkey Puzzle
Tree of the don't come near, reserve,
it is better so. Tree of the gesture
on a deserted beach, tree of the unforgettable,
of the tiled roof and teapot in the pantry window,
tree of the private greenhouse, of the new haircut,
the sculpture garden,
of confusion and response,
of the car ride, tree of the stick pin.
3. Olive
Tree of the snow-white villa, tree of the blackbird,
of ox blood, of corn popped over a fire,
tree of warm boulders, of sleep in sun. [End Page 30]
4. Loquat
Tree of the sphinx moth, tree of peaches,
tree of lips, tree of the T-shirt drawer overflowing.
5. Sycamore
Tree of the twelve-inch wide handspan, tree of low-
lying areas, cows in grass by the creek, tree
of the pond-sized shadow, tree of coons in the tree,
tree of rain coming some day, tree of the sound
of running water, tree of the umbrella
and person dancing under it.
6. Eucalyptus
Tree of the golden halo
on the capsule, of the crescent leaves.
7. Oak
Tree of the mistletoe, the juggler, tree of the robin
with the berry stuck on its bill,
tree of the good host, the red wine,
of the travelling berry wiped off
on furrowed bark, tree of the seed germinating,
the rhizome, tree of the heart,
tree of the keel. [End Page 31]
Or Stay Again
The wasp's gray sphere,
papered layers I held
imagining the wings' heat
beating over the eggs,
the wings' cooling in summer
up in the high trees.
At La Guardia,
rows of planes lined up
ready to take off,
painted tails like Lego toys.
Flying east,
how complicated it seems -
scheduled liftings
from runways, you travelling
that web somewhere
to some other place,
late, later, the sun
an orange sliver, fingernail
paring that slips behind
the straight line of horizon,
over ocean
I count the light's white blink
on the plane's wing: nine,
to nine again, twenty
and seven - stop, now stop. [End Page 32]
Blue Collection
Smoothed ribbon, night light, once
there were wool dogs isolated
on an island off the sand spit.
My dovekie, my twisted strand of kelp
go to sleep as I tell you this.
Paws crossed, the wool dogs
were shorn twice a year, thick fur
you could run your fingers through
like the prows of ships.
They are gone now, the breed
extinct, diffused, except
for a wool blanket in the town museum
near the coral collection: fingers,
filigrees, swirled brains. At night
the dogs curled under cedars, nestled
against trunks. Sleep,
maybe you will hear them
padding from tree to tree.
Sounds carry over water, they'd listen
for other dogs, the splash of oars
dipping, growls and barks
from the mainland - mongrels,
companions, dogs with short fur,
dogs stealing bread.
A spindle in the museum, a loom,
ship's bell. How heavy the iron
to press the white sheets, the clothes
whitened with blueing
on the dark-haired mannequin.
Low tide one night,
the dogs trotted off, slipped away
from their particular strain [End Page 33]
of thick fur, bloodlines.
Like a row of slip knots pulled straight
from a shoelace. No one knows
what they looked like anymore.
Here - to tie a knot - lean towards
this light, loop the strands through,
hold the frayed ends tight
Talvikki Ansel's poetry collection My Shining Archipelago (Yale UP, 1997) won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award in 1997. Her new book Jetty and Other Poems is forthcoming in 2003 from Zoo Press.
