HEART THREAD Parts Nineteen and Twenty

19.

Of course it went the other way,
Chartres,

a carriage down Warren Street, rich
people everywhere

and in a chophouse decent grub — he
said

but that was Thames where Andrewes
walked along

thinking out loud, how beautiful the
churches are

despite what they say, the genetic
imperfections of belief,

rosemary flowers for the Queen of
Hungary

sad liquid gold pours from the carnal
machinery

they never understand the ecstasy of
rain

the purest gift is from the
unimagined

Montaigne explained his dislike of
the continuous

walk down the street with me holding
the mean-eyed cat.

20.

Leave that rainbow gouged into the
sky

let the clouds come down and talk
like Christian men

have your nephelometer ready your
cheesecloth your checkbook

earwax to polish close-grained briar

blond pilasters at the gate of ivory

between armoire and fish tank why the
long hall

but other mother came out of the hill again

reaching towards the moon she turned
the trains off

businessmen wandered through the
prairie

we passed a wolf on our sidewalk

creature of gold-eyed dignity

but she was sleeping with the mirror’s
mother.

ROBERT
KELLY