background image
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the lava lip or ledge
from which the little stream drops free to its pool
among the rocks:
3
Water entering air
is elementary, something important but not interesting
except as belonging
back among elementary things
and here having come forward, separated out
at the heart of the scene,
a violent exception
that sustains itself, making the uproar of the time that is
at the heart of the scene,
a "local dragon" sustaining
its presence in quiet start, loud close, and varying descent
all taking place at once,
hung timeless in time,
medium of the timeless -- time taking its course,
gathering speed
in eff ortless accelerations
the dragon (tail gripping the ledge) arched out in the hissing pour,
scales streaming in heavy gouts,
U-shaped, pulling apart
in threads, spatterings, whitening all over as at top speed
it enters the uproar
where, inside the bouncing spray,
among overlapping explosions and thudding sounds, the head
moves quietly from side to side,