January 13th: Peace by Piece: How He Reconciles His Theft

January 13^th: Peace by Piece: How He Reconciles His Theft

However fragile, callow and uncouth

Brazen and shy, at least once, in her youth,

                Everyone standing free of clothes before

Her pensive mirror will look just like Truth.

                                               

                                                Tesserae

                                                John Hollander

He makes me think: how do they do it with these clay bits these sherds of pot

                broken stone

does he make the whole piece open out cold and total

raw known

and maybe from a ladder or pole hoist himself

completely alone

above the splay of green gray near mosaic the unbroken display first

soap and foam

of her own naked life, her alone come alive after her bathing, his hand brings

soft groans

in her throat on a cold February morning where, pictured, not old enough

to own

her own role in the whole tragic affair but only so far as her worth

in gold

and to go out, alone, beyond the stone breakwater later on,

ocean foam

thrown, her naked nose her elbow and yes of course

you know

because she is totally without her clothes he’s raised this mosaic

in stone

and floating above it is finally broke, broke, he is broke

to go

down the pole

and with one blow

hammer her nearly to dust and when he’s through, his fever’s set

below

his brow and on his mouth she is drowned and he’ll sweep

each moan

piece by piece by bloody piece, make her tesserae, tesserae in his lung’s pocket

alone