walking all day

Is this the result, the end- growth, the maturity of a vocation, a career, a means of gaining a foot- hold on the rickety foot- ladder up to the rare air of the great economic exchange?   But where has wisdom been exchanged for naïve hope? My grandfather, my childhood measure of gentleness and great strength and the wisdom of long years (of the study of potential life in seed and bulb and of ability to read the roots beneath the soil without probe or shovel, and of the long-studied work of grafting and pruning of six offspring, three boys and three girls, into sturdy, long-lived lives) maintained an orchard of trees, exotic and useful, some bearing fruit and nuts, even a cork tree from the bark of which he cut his fishing corks and corks for his jugs of muscadine wine. Where, from our livelihoods, have the scaled and feathered and furred consciousnesses trained their eyes and ears and quic...

Delia was a gambling girl gambled all around Delia was a gambling girl she laid her money down all the friends I ever had are gone Delia's dear ol' mother took a trip out west when she returned little Delia gone to rest all the friends I ever had are gone Delia's daddy weeped Delia's momma moaned wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home all the friends I ever had are gone Curtis looking high Curtis looking low he shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four all the friends I ever had are gone high up on the housetops high as I can see, looking for them rounders looking out for me all the friends I ever had are gone Men in Atlanta tryin' to pass for white Delia's in the graveyard boys six feet out of sight. all the friends I ever had are gone judge says to Curtis what's this noise about? all about them rounders judge tryin' to cut me out all the friends I ever ...

How would one judge the best experience of the present against the past of deeds only understood from the day after tomorrow? unless bliss descends we will be at the appointment on time and well-dressed but if bliss descends we won’t even get out of bed and the appointment will never have been scheduled and you and I shall drone on happily together in liquid time and in the warm and gentle flow of daily routine but this happens to be Christmas Eve and the cold wind pushing the warmth of the halftime sun on down the beach but this moment always is and has and will be and always is the best experience of the present and you and I shall drone on happily together in liquid time and in the warm and gentle flow of daily routine

In the era before there were eras in the day before there were days we hung out in non-time and gave each other encouragement to deal with temporary estrangements and intense presences we crossed swords with phantom doubts and in all-day non-time we grew younger together till both of us have yet to be born and our days are yet to be spent and what gives our pre-lives the heat and time and scent is that you and I are tangled together in love—that great bringer-into-being— into being in time