For Craig Arnold, lost in a volcano

With his lean line and robust id, his unfailing intelligence and ability to mutate metaphors down the page of his image stream, poet Craig Arnold deserved but almost certainly did not get a long life. (Obituary notice here.) Because no body was found, he’s presumed dead. I hope he staggers out of the volcano everyone thinks he fell into to amaze the multitude.

In the meantime, here’s Couple from Hell #1 in the hopes there will be many, many more couples from hell to follow.

You walk out in the morning

and the sky is broad and blue

and across the pathway threads of silk

glint in the sun   at the end of each a spider

still wet from the egg   spins out a dragline

and sails off into the breeze

The air is so bright and busy

your whole body feels it

a puppet weightless on its wires

and you let it guide you down a path

you’ve never taken   along the river

the little harbor at its mouth

where three blue boats are moored

at a dock cushioned with old tires

where the only sound is the deep bass

drumming of waves on wood

Here is a small café

opening for breakfast

a zinc counter catching the light

at every angle in bright rings of glitter

A cup of black coffee is placed before you

brimming with rainbow-colored foam

a packet of sugar   a pat of butter

a split roll of bread

scored and toasted and still warm

The butter is just soft enough to spread

the coffee hot and sugared to perfect sweetness

the bread grilled to the palest brown

crisp but not quite dry

You tear it neatly into pieces

eat them slowly   when you finish

you are exactly full

Here are bread butter and coffee

Here you are   your own body

eating and drinking what you are given

as one day you in turn will be devoured

and that is all   You were never the lord

of a lightless kingdom   any more

than she has ever been its queen
and the world you talked each other into prison

suddenly seems to be made of glass

and your eyes see clear to the horizon

and you feel the molecules of air

part like a curtain   as if to let you pass