Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, I DREAM I'M LEAVING, by MARGARET AHO


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

I DREAM I'M LEAVING, by                    
First Line: An island
Subject(s): Children; Dreams; Childhood; Nightmares


an island

leaving adults

mulling the ambit, mulling

the waves, wagged.

The children are of one

mind. (push

off) The children have no

bodies; no body.

All around

on every side: thisss . . .

thiss . . . lapping spongy ground

lapping what won't give off

heat light some-

thing breathable. The children can't

breathe! (hush . . .)

The children are of one mind. (push

off) No

body. But see how they see, with a mind's

eye, thisss

woman with her back to them, turning

toe thigh spine tri ceps flexed

finger

circling the calendar touching that

round

where the moon should be?

Feel the hubbub?

Feel the sudden homing of one

mind humming

like a tran-

sept, like a wing-

span looking

for a jagged

pulse

to impale it, trans-

fix it? Find it. Fix

this barbed heart pushed off out

here!

(here . . .

here . . .)

roosting rocking pierced through breathe

under and all around

(this . . .

motion of breathing . . .

this breathing . . .

Copyright © Margaret Aho.






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