Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SAND FLESH AND SKY, by CLARENCE MAJOR


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SAND FLESH AND SKY, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Our ropes are the roots
Subject(s): Nature; Conduct Of Life


Our ropes are the roots
of our life. We fish
low in the earth,
the river beneath runs through our veins,
blue and cold in a riverbed.

When the sun comes up,
the moon moves slowly to the left.

I tie the logs and limbs together,
holding them in place.

The ocean beats them
smooth like rock.
Here my sense of time is flat.

I find in a strip of damp sand
footprints and marks of hands,
and torn pieces of flesh.

Night is a beast.
The tide moves, gushing
back and forth.

Sunlight touches our faces,
turning us, turning us, turning us
in our morning sleep.


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org




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