NOTES OUT OF TUNE

by Charles Hadfield

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   frost.

                                                     spun

           air

 

 

 

 

          SO MOST IS IT

                SONG AND

         (FRAGMENT

 

 

 

         THE SONG

 

         sooner

                      foot in

the puddles

                               nests

                   buds

         sooner

 

 

 

 

         FRAG    MENTS OF

           A              SONGS

 

 

 

 

 

         THE QUEST

      

        red is

in a word

 

                    yes

 

 

 

 

 

         WHEN

 

  How

               some words

     and is

                                    cup?

 

 

 

           HERE

 

   elf

                    blade

 

          teeth

                    on gold

 

 

 

 

 

            OFTEN

 

     is along

always

                        mist

            sunbeams

 

 

 

 

 

           CAUTION

 

    see

                      hear

voices across the water

 

           full moon

 

 

 

 

           LOOK AGAIN

  

      leaf

                       limb

              moss

 

          gradually focus

 

 

 

            IN AGAIN

 

                                is refraction

 or interstellar

 

                        silent

 

 

 

 

                AND!

 

        chase after

           go catch

             orbit

    powerful moments

               now

 

 

 

 

                   SO?

leg it

             scratch

 

       a tag of wool

               or

 

 messages?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             EVEN SO

 

                        of lights

       twelve billion years

 

            a consistent story

            a major step

 

                      only 100000 since

 

we

                               here

              are

 

 

 

 

 

 

                 DUNHUANG

 

                      all  Faint

                  Wall  Paintings

 

So Most is it

           song and

 

Fragments of all Faint

 

          a                          book

      old  songbook?

           dance

 

      Wall Paintings

the Buddhist frescoes

left in darkness

                              ver a thousand

 

          desert

faces scratched

                            impossible

            beauty

 

sand

              wind

                            sand

                                          sang

                                                          sad

 

 

 

 

 

      THE HARBOUR WAIL

 

the brother missing

          a strange tune

a minor

                   key

                   quay

boat

        goes

sink

                    or

                                   sailing across

       and

the

          wonder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         MUCH LATER

 

Starlight

       echo

on the puddle

                         ripples

      (now

 

 

here            there

       green just

between

               and the old stone

 

rigging clink

clouds unfurl

blue oh silver

 

is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     SOMETIMES

                 at

to       mole

     struc      pro

DN

              o     sap

 

 

 

 

    PULSE

 

wherever

         is

   loping across fields

                sunset

 

first lie

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

        AND STILL

 

hot fogs          heat fog

      sunmists

   blindwhite

across

             still

                       seas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      JUST LISTENING

 

astound

as   tones

     notes abound

               reb  und

horizons

               shifti

   soonests

                    az    mu                gds

      !                 cht

  es

Y

 

           goddess mount

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         MAKES SENSES

 

    and   rig    clink

           o masts

unfurl                blue

            as

                  silver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                IS IT SEEN DETAILS?

 

 

Detail.

                Spiked silver.

    Leaf.

               Twig.

 

Low grey

                 leaf litter.

Bright bird:

                     tilth.

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

Sure-footed

 

graceful

 

the only way it knows

 

(and everywhere else silent

just as we wished)

 

but beyond the trees

 

a special slant of light

 

so I keep wondering

 

 

  Is it

          all the time a dull

insistent beat

                     The rain glazes

    the skies shine

 

the more the less

 

everywhere else is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    

 

NOTES OUT OF TUNE    © Charles Hadfield   Auckland   May 2020

 

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