Michael Akillian: Ascent

A single note

murmured

from a small plane:

a note

depending on the chill patterns

above semi-white

pines and a thickening oak

a drone

from a small plane

persisting up

and down

a limited scale

a drone

gravel-throated

clinging

lazy as a dazed fly

at the window

that spills afternoon

sun across the sickbed

and silence

a note

from a small plane

playing out

over all the other places

beyond the silence

that tries

to resettle

upon itself

the sun

from the covers

scaling the 

dresser.






This poem is part of the volume entitled "The Eating of Names", published by Ashod Press, 1983. It is reprinted here by kind permission of the author.