Eyes

Thundering down sky, smashing upon rock,
the force of beauty. Dust-stars gleam
a billioned wonder. Pebble-planets spin
in sudden shining drops crashed off. A sun
sparks in the shattering charge. Its warmth
beckons a note from stone. A voice
sings.

Goddess of beauty
blindly your servants
chisel out word-shapes,
braille their alphabets,
touch-talk together.
Who can experience
a waterfall of light
cross matter’s deadline,
pierce into seeing?
Goddess of beauty
from the Earth’s fellowing warmth
hear a blind singing.

Quieter than thought, deeper than space-spin,
a first-day stillness. Water hovering in hills
catches the sun. It is there for ever,
image of Creation. The surface quivers
as if in song.

Youths and maidens
I sing you from stone
so restless, so restless
With your dark eyes
and your dancing thoughts
you challenge me, claim me
set a city on fire
with your cold mind
mega-blast the cool heavens
Do not search for me
do not sing to me
but first learn to see
by seeing the beauty
in another’s dark eyes

Journeying at night, crossing a crazed land,
a cold river of self. Can there be meeting,
can there be seeing? The destructive clatter
of death life death drowns all.

Goddess invisible
from a deep cell, a bird
soars up to you, is lost
Stranger, Earth-prisoner,
child of mine, learn to see
near you. O blind one
if you knew, if you knew . . .
your name is beauty’s name,
there is a bird returned.
Open a cell of words,
see what is near.

Blinded by word-shapes, forever peering
into day’s blackness. What giant clumsiness
of Earth’s blundering mind! Only an infant touch
lightens.

*

What is it
of the known face, soft with the sense
to outwit blindness, half seen half felt
about the eyes?
As if the brush-stroke
of a pure making?
As if Earth’s children
sang a love-song?