Perhaps the curtain moves, light as breath
before figures of it mean and the night
opens to more than dreamt. The lights
connect to acts of galoshes, shopping,
the pine of an absence doodling her name
across the bone white space in between.

Horn and limb-snap, a sea tumbled rush
cajole sleep from its dance. Bent
forward, hugging the knees, I can listen before
I hear presumed shapes of a hand
before figures of it mean, or the curtain
moves, light as breath.

this has a nice light touch - I liked the suprise of dreamt rather than "dream" which would have gone the route of rhyme.....my tongue had to think about it  - xo M

Read this first Larry, without paying much attention to the title.  As always, love the way you put words together, but I was a bit confused.  Read it a second time with the title in mind -- absolutely love it.  I'd say this is one poem where the title is a definite part of the poem proper.  Wonderful job.

So lovely, deep and delicate, Larry! Your "the curtain moves, light as breath" is just breathtaking (maybe too much so to repeat it). The repeat of "figures of it mean" is great. The "in" before "between" doesn't add clarity for me and has an awkward cadence. This and other recent poems putting me directly in your N's heartbeat, where it feels both unlike my own, and like it. Tom

A delicious softness to this, Larry.

milner

wow...I'm picking this...so delicate. 

Thanks for the notes, most gracious, Michelle, Cheryl and Milner. Tom, you are probably right about the extra syllable which is still stuck in my head. Sue, thanks for the pick.

larry

A great welcome to all of our guests, "Guests" is a fine example of the unique way Larry approaches language as if it were a stranger, and coaxes a gift from it. Tom

I'd missed this one, larry.  What a gift to find it now, and here.  Difficult to say what I like the most; perhaps the circularity of it, of how it comes back, altered, slightly (as with moments, memory, life).  If I gush, forgive me, but there's something small as a backyard theater here and large as the universe.

Thanks Tom for the pick, Nice surprise after a very long day. Started a new job...Lynn, thanks for your very close reads.

enjoyed this this evening it suits me well, N

"the pine of an absence doodling her name
across the bone white space in between"

I love that . . . very nicely done

Thank you Nora. Your voice has been missed. Hope all is well.

'figures of it mean' has such a wonderful ring to the arrangement larry.  for me this reminds me of holidays, a very gathered texture to it.  even with the delicate aggression in S2, it brings out scenes of busy living rooms, the N younger than most.  missed this one one the front page, damn glad i found it this afternoon larry.  lawrence