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poem
Author: jmckenna
dream
Setting out at night to traverse an expansive natural area, an owl lands on my right shoulder. I fret its injury, its face under its wing. My brother holds it in place but inspection says it’s likely fine.
Leaving, careful of the owl, its feathers on my face, the dry red earth graphing up the night skies. I worry for the its wellness, worry about its tamelessness, wonder at its affinity for me. Then the feathers turn to fur, it changes then and is a sea otter.
A small, lit cabin is on the right nearby. I stop for water and rest, check the animal. An older couple welcomes us in. The break is just minutes. I walk us back out, navigate perpetuating terrain. None of it easy; the balance, my shoulder, the animal’s need. We reach the other end whole, and familiar.
dream
Skeleton of a lamb, but with wings, and during The Troubles.
A bombed high-school at night with a hole in its side; we rebel into enemies.
One of us, outnumbered in a room, and too few reinforcements rush by.
At the window exit, an ossein lamb. Its rib-wrungs and bleached skull wag, motions for a boost.
Smiling at me, it flies out, bone wings dispelling the devils.
On the grass expanse, so few of us now, but her resurrection, and her short voyage.
chamber
Today I rested on the open side;
a mirror underneath on red cloth,
an animal trinket for your found way.
In the southwest corner a pinned picture—
water cranes, a doubling moon,
my renewal of night flowers and laid ribbons,
no word now.
exchange
Think of how the town Juliet
was next to Romeo.
And the citizens thought:
that is too precious.
So Romeo became Romeoville,
and Juliet is Joliet.
Think of how we can’t stand
anything we can feel.
saturn
olden instructional films
and the correct order
– for introducing everyone
– opening rolls to butter
– resting your not-in-use knife
– greeting your date’s clothing
– zig zag eating vs. continental
– separate the sediment by pour
– never cover the gun arm
one fine thing for another
More of it
In the red clay, I scoop a low grave, roll into it, rust across white cloth. The lion pawing, howls to get back out. It drags me by the dress-neck, summons fire and a circle of ancestors to minister a liquid. Nothing takes.
A teacher explains I’m just in a bad etheric neighborhood, no need to stay. The lion manages me across its back, walks us out of the landscape. It drags me to a fountain chiseled from quartz, leaves me there, licks at my limbs.
At which point the water matters, at which point the garden matters, who knows?
I beg my own root open, melt past fear with gold light.
In the waking, my dog declines, loses her weight, fur over bones and skin gone wonky. Jupiter squares my Moon, Neptune chokes it. I steadily leave myself. At the oil, spike, and rock shop, a reverend says he can see, shoves bloodroot at me, golden calcite, says why wait.
Every dream is me
standing over my body
breathing
get up, get up, get up.
receiving
I made a storm.
Before that, on the table, the new widower punctured my limbs and ears, drew blood at the third eye. He left me to align and later held my neck and asked me what I saw. I told him, an expanse of tall grasses blowing on a white-cloud clear day, but I was on one side of a short wooden rod fence. An Eastern Bluebird appeared in my left hand and seemingly near death, discombobulated. Suddenly a worm appeared in its beak, and if flew off, revived. I hopped the low fence and began walking through the expanse of grass. My dead dog was with me. It felt futile, just grass forever.
Resigned to it, but then a lion. A massive male lion walking to me, conveying protection, as a familiar. It lead me to a tree I climbed to rest. I picked and ate the tree’s fruit in the shade. Satisfied, it left to hunt, returning with a bloody muzzle. It slept under the tree.
We awoke and kept walking, but just grasslands. The other dog joined us. I tell the lion the dog isn’t food and the lion accepts this, leading us on. There are more of us now, but I wonder if this is just it, forever, the same landscape.
Later, I see a well under a tree. I pull up the rope up. Inside a bucket is midnight blue silk cloth. I lower it again and draw up a silver spoon. I think of my Grandfather. Again, and this time it’s a green frog inside the bucket. I put the items in a hip pouch and lower it once more. A yellow canary or goldfinch rides up on the side of the bucket and flies away.
That night I turn on a show. In it, a woman walks out of the exact house I dreamed that I owned, over a year ago.
Last night I made a storm outside that cracked at the ground and shook the houses like shoulders. Went to bed sweeping at the sky for the breeze to break heat, and rain so I wouldn’t have to water. Weather is not stubborn.
2 versions / drafts
lunation
the way to your home
a white pet struck
fur blows the road
cat crossing your yard.
my hand casts a line
sacraments your path
breath gone to seed
nearing your sleep.
a raccoon breaks,
stirring the ground ash
pads my intention—
featherfoil, sanguinary.
all the times I’ve seen you,
and you’ve never seen me.
______________________________________________
lunation
the way to your home
a white pet struck
fur blows the road
cat crossing your yard.
my hand casts a line
sacraments your path
breath gone to seed
nearing your sleep.
all the times I’ve seen you,
and you’ve never seen me.
i was here
