Boondocks

We come from there—that

clattering tautology. The boon’s

the boom—what lowers a load

from the tottering sky;

the dock’s the planks and pilings,

strictness of the structures made

so we can walk on water, put

these franking footholds on

the riled-up rookery; the dock’s

the bracing that the boat is lashed to:

tarry trunk, and tacky creosote.

An orange star attaches to a moment,

waves toward a slo-mo lobe.

A finger’s inch outruns

a yardarm’s reach—the boon’s

the rope, the slip, the pilings, and

the sound. We come from there,

and we want more. Another ton

of sky-stuff winches down.