The poem
Another time. It was still night. Water slid Silently on the black ground, And I knew that my only task would be To remember, and I laughed, I bent down, I took from the mud A pile of branches and leaves, I lifted up the whole dripping mass In arms I held close to my heart. What to do with this wood where The sound of color rose from so much absence, It hardly mattered, I went in haste, looking for At least some kind of shed, beneath the load Of branches that were full of Rough edges, stabbing pains, points, cries.
And voices that cast shadows on the road, Or called to me, and, my heart beating fast, I turned around to face the empty road.