Seven Poems

Andrew Maxwell

remembrance

One breathless word therein. Is therein. Is nothing.

Is nothing save rainlight. Descending now
into each broken bone into each
finally silent

embrace now. Descending on wings of such lavish
dispassion. Appearing as dark as
wings are they

as soft as moss although

more suddenly.            Greening each moment each
glorious moment. In which they touch
you. From you now and

again they depart.

sacramental

Lavender flowers already will                    scatter as lavishly
scatter at twilight. Your tongue which already will
elsewhere be given. To speak of

no longer and lovingly                 elsewhere. So
lovingly elsewhere. Already that

distance in which you will
no longer will
yet will

therefore remain. To be seen
and at twilight be lavishly
wounded and lovingly

wounded by nothing. Already by nothing now
into which your tongue

already will cut.

lamentations

Unwakeful. Leaves midnight. Unwritten by every eye. Hallowed and dreamless.

             *

No subtle word softly begins each
to bleed each beloved each
throat wide with

neither. Like here nor like        there is. Already
beyond is.        Unspoken where no word

remains.

             *

As if only perfected by neon now only.
This moment. This otherwise.
Into which woundedly

mirrors decline now. This otherwise.
Into which darkfall
yet flowers yet

flowers forever.

             *

This only. This intimate only. This word. This
one intimate word which yet
every tongue never

more secretly holds.

the mirror

Leaves being there. Overmuch. Broken.
As broken stone buried in ivy.

Deep ivy.         That silence in which you are only
beholden to that which is glorious. Only is
open. One moment

in which you are only that you are now. Nothing
that through which now. Nothing
now. Nothing beholds.

across

That lavender as if. Bright wildgrass as if. Anonymous therein that
passage of daylight declining that
passage that
                                by which declining.

No other ecstatic field therein              is woven around you
by that which remains to be. That which
remains. To be seen.

             *

That as if already.         Unspoken as utterly as if. As that which
already is given already is greening. With that which that
ground of such
                               silence might utterly
grow if sufficient. With that which
declining already such

distant light only. You open. Now
only. You open. Unspoken that

passage at last. You divine.

eremita

Already if         whyless that wherein. You wander
that silence now wherein. Still
windows. Still

runic. Still as now as darkfall leaves
lacelike leaves only. Still
windows. Already

that wherein breath lavishly wherein

breath gathers. In silence
that silence twined only
by that which

twined iron leaves only.

             *

In silence already. You wander that silence.

             *

As darkfall. Still           deepens. Each
wound. Each new wound
by which darkfall

leaves only. You only. Alone
with such breath
as breath

gathers. In silence already.
Your open       wide throat.

invitation

Prophetic as winter. This         winter. Still wherein. Still as if. Still
only. This winter beginning which

only appears now.

In veiled words veiled as if
like dry twigs already
by falling
                     snow falling now only will
breathe now. Still in such         impossible

distance you also
will breathe
and will

breathe and continue

to breathe. This beginning already
beginning to read as such
that which now only

you also must be.