SEPTEMBER 1995 / PLANET OF THE ARTS 5

eq eligh tful brain -a good long poem

were in the backyard. Flat on our backs in the
grass. Loafing. Gazing lazily up at the sky.
‘Blue. Distant tiny wisps of white clouds drifted
slowly from one extreme to the other, from this
@side to that, within the limits of vision. Entering
ere and exiting there. Perceived for a moment
gand then gone. Neither followed nor held in
ocus. Now and then a form less amorphous

Cool drinks sat close at hand, wet with condensation. Wet and
undisturbed. 3

High in a tree a cicada made the stillness an arena for sound.
And then let the stillness return again to our ears, and press itself
into the spaces within. Before chasing it out again. Then letting
the silence back in for a while. Letting it fill up the gaps. Then
chasing it out again, with its noise. And then silence for a long
while— overcome by desire for a nap— or forgetting the rea-
son— or just simply

A dog in the distance
Nothing at first and then something.

The screen door swung open, light footsteps on the deck and the
tinkle of ice in a glass approaches. Naked feet swish through the
shaggy green grass. Her image gently appears in my mind. Her
voice seems to begin far away, through air thick and still, a gold-
fish in a bow! full of honey which, blinking its eyes and looking
around, chose a more scenic route to my ear than the straight
line. Although the words

The words wait a while in some sleepy vestibule of my brain
before introducing themselves. When the words cross my
mind’s threshold, one crafty word stumbles, and tumbles into
another, knocking it down, which in turn knocks down another
and so on till all the words lay in a heap laughing on the dusty
grey floor of my mind. And the laughter becomes

Through some other channel, I feel her sit down in the grass, set
her drink down beside her and slowly stretch out on her back,
arms down at her sides, palms to the ground and one knee slight-
ly bent, with the sole of that delicate foot caressing the earth. I
know that her eyelids are closing as the heat on her face spreads
down through her body, that her pulse rate slows down and her
breathing gets deeper and longer. I know that the question she’d
asked, her part, was fading away and soon would be gone, but
for an echo of the last word’s inflection, as it bounded and
rebounded between the walls of her brain, perhaps joining up
with other noises and rhythms, composing a melody, possibly
one so inspiring as to be worth humming out loud.

Except that the silence was nice.

The dog forgot too. And lay down on the ground and breathed
in the air and thought about nothing. And the clouds call up no
more recognition than no recognition at all, doing nothing but
being, and being nothing but clouds. And the blue in the back is
just blue. Everything just as it seems.

Nothing at first and then something.
I stand up and walk to the door, and from there turn back to look.

Maybe one of them sat up for a moment after the door swung
shut behind me, sat up and looked at the empty space for a
while, before lying back down.

A dog in the grass.

Gazing lazily up at the empty space, dusty grey floor of my
brain. when the words crossed my mind’s threshold, one crafty
word stumbled, and tumbled into another, knocking it down,
which in turn knocked down another and so on till all the words
crossed my mind’s threshold, one. crafty word tumbled, and
stumbled into another, knocking it down, which in turn knocked
down another and so on till all the words crossed my mind’s
threshold, one crafty word, which knocked down another, and

so on till all the words lay in a bow! full of sky Blue in the back-
yard. Flat on our backs. Now and then gone. Thought about
nothing. And then letting the silence back in for a long while—
overcome by desire for a while, before lying back down.
Although the words crossed my threshold, one crafty word
stumbled, and then something.

I stood up and looked at the sky. Silence for a space and then
gone. Now and then something. The screen door swung open,
caressing the earth. I knew that the silence was nice. And lay
down on the ground and breathed in the distance. Nothing at
first and then something. The screen door swung shut behind me
and breathed in the backyard.

A gold fish in a tree, a cicada, made the stillness return again to
our ears, and press itself into the spaces within. And then silence
for a while. And then silence for a long while

Overcome by desire for a time. light footsteps on the dusty grey
floor of my mind.

Her voice seemed to spread through the earth. Gone. Neither
followed nor held in focus. Now and then let the sky. Blue.
Distant tiny wisps of white clouds drifted slowly from one
extreme to the door, and from there turned back to look. They
hadn’t moved. Maybe one of them sat up for a while, before
lying back down. Her voice seemed to begin far away

A dog in the grass, soon would be gone, but for an echo of
laughter. The last word’s inflection, it seemed. I knew that the
sky. And then something.

The screen door breathed in the air and then let the sky. Distant
wisps of white clouds doing nothing at first.

Let the sky fill the spaces within. Before chasing it out again,
with the shaggy green grass. Loafing. Gazing lazily up at the
sound. Let the straight line cross my mind’s threshold, one
crafty word into another, knocking it out again. Silence.

Nothing at first and then gone. Everything just as it seemed.
Now and then gone. Now and then a form less amorphous

When the words lay in a heap laughing on the dusty grey floor

_ of my mind, her voice seemed to spread down through my body,

her pulse rate slowed down and so on till all the words lay in a
heap laughing on the dusty grey floor of our mind. The
laughter became

I stood up and walked to the door, and from there turned back to
look. They hadn’t moved. Maybe one of them sat up for a
moment, and then something.

A dog in the grass. Loafing. And then gone. Entering, exiting.
Her image gently appeared. Naked feet through my body, possi-
bly one so inspiring. I knew that the grass. Loafing. When the
earth fell. I knew that her body. Naked footsteps on the walls of
vision. We were between door and the words, blinking
a moment.

Back to my mind forgetting.

The door swung shut being nothing. Her voice seemed to be
humming. Within the stillness amorphous.

A dog forgetting the sky.

The eyes an echo of ice seemed to focus. Except for the gaps.
And the blue. Everything laughing.

Door of vision. I knew that was nice. Everything blue. Distance
away

Screen door, and rhythms, inspiring nothing. The door of my
mind. And themselves. But before things made sense, they made

less and less sense, until they made no sense at all.

by Mark Beresford

a
ss

Je were in the backyard. Flat on our backs inthe
Jeras. Loafing. Gazing lazily up at the sky.
Blue. Distant tiny wisps of white clouds drifted
slowly from one extreme tothe other, fom this
side to that, within the limits of vision. Entering
here and exiting there. Perceived for a moment
Jand then gone. Neither followed nor held in
locus. Now and then a form les amorphous

‘Cool drinks sat close at hand, wet with condensation. Wet and
undisturbed.

High in a tree a cicada made the stillness an arena for sound.
‘And then let the stillness return again to our ears, and press itself
into the spaces within, Before chasing it out again. Then letting
the silence back infor a while. Letting it fill up the gaps. Then
chasing it out agai, with its noise. And then silence for a long
while— overcome by desire for a nap— or forgetting the rea-
son— or just simply

‘A.dog in the distance
[Nothing at first and then something.

‘The sereen door swung open, light footsteps onthe deck and the
tinkle of ie in a glass approaches. Naked feet swish through the
shaggy green gras. Her image gently appears in my mind. Her
voice seems to begin far away, through ar thick and stil a gold-
fish ina bow! ful of honey which, blinking its eyes and looking
around, chose a more scene route to my ear than the straight
line. Although the words

‘The words wait a while in some sleepy vestibule of my brain
before introducing themselves. When the words cross my
mind's threshold, one crafty word stumbles, and tumbles into
another, knocking it down, which in tum knocks down another
‘and so on till all the words lay in a heap laughing on the dusty
{rey floor of my mind. And the laughter becomes

“Through some other channel, I feel her st down in the grass, set
her drink down beside her and slowly stretch out on her back,
arms down at her sides, palms tothe ground and one knee slight-
ly bent, with the sole ofthat delicate foot caressing the earth. 1
know that her eyelids are closing as the heaton her face spreads
down through her body, that her pulse rate slows down and her
breathing gts deeper and longer. know thatthe question she'd
asked, her part, was fading away and soon would be gone, but
for an echo of the last word's inflection, as it bounded and
rebounded between the walls of her brain, perhaps joining up
with other noises and rhythms, composing a melody, possibly
‘one so inspiring as to be worth humming outloud.

Except that the silence was nice.

“The dog forgot too. And lay down on the ground and breathed
in the air and thought about nothing. And the clouds eal up no
‘more recognition than no recognition at all, doing nothing but
‘being, and being nothing but clouds. And the biue in the back is
just blue. Everything just as it seems.

[Nothing at first and then something.
I stand up and walk tothe door, and from there turn back to Took:

“Maybe one of them sat up for a moment after the door swung
shut behind me, sat up and looked atthe, empty space for a
‘while, before lying back down.

‘A. dog in the grass.

Gazing lazily up atthe empty space, dusty grey floor of my
bra, when the words crossed my mind's threshold, one erafty
word stumbled, and tumbled into another, knocking it down,
‘which in tur knocked down another and soon til ll the words
crossed my mind's threshold, one crafty word tumbled, and
‘stumbled into another, knocking it down, which in tun knocked
‘down another and so on tll all the words crossed my mind's
threshold, one crafty word, which knocked down another, and

0 on til ll the words lay ina bow! ful of sky Blue in the back-
yard, Flat on our backs. Now and then gone, Thought about
nothing. And then leting the silence back infor along while—
covercome by desire for a while, before lying back down.
Although the words crossed my threshold, one crafty word
‘stumbled, and then something

I stood up and looked atthe sky Silence for a space and then
‘gone. Now and then something. The screen door swung open,
caressing the earth I knew thatthe silence was nice. And lay
‘down on the ground and breathed inthe distance. Nothing at
first and then something. The screen door swung shut behind me
and breathed in the backyard.

‘A goldfish in a tre, a cicada, made the stillness return again to
‘our ears, and press itself nto the spaces within. And then silence
fora while. And then silence for along while

‘Overcome by desire for a time. light footsteps onthe dusty grey
floor of my mind.

Her voice seemed to spread through the earth. Gone. Nether
followed nor held in focus. Now and then let the sky. Blue.
Distant tiny wisps of white clouds drifted slowly from one
extreme to the door, and from there turned back to look. They
hadn't moved. Maybe one of them sat up for a while, before
lying back down. Her voice seemed to begin far away

‘A dog in the grass, soon would be gone, but for an echo of
laughter. The last word's inflection, it seemed. I knew that the
sky. And then something.

“The sereen door breathed in the air and then let the sky. Distant
wisps of white clouds doing nothing at frst.

Let the sky fill the spaces within. Before chasing it out again,
‘withthe shaggy green grass. Loafing. Gazing lazily up atthe
sound, Let the straight line cross my mind's threshold, one
crafty word into another, knocking it out again, Silence.

Nothing at first and then gone. Everything just as it seemed,
[Now and then gone. Now and then a form les amorphous

‘When the words lay in heap laughing on the dusty grey floor
‘of my mind, her voice seemed to spread down through my body,
her pulse rate slowed down and so on til all the words lay in
heap laughing on the dusty grey floor of our mind. The
Taughter became

I stood up and walked tothe door, and from there turned back to
Took. They hada't moved. Maybe one of them sat up for a
‘moment, and then something.

‘A dog in the grass. Loafing. And then gone. Entering, exiting,
Her image gently appeared. Naked feet through my body, possi-
bly one so inspiring. I knew thatthe grass. Loafing. When the
arth fell, knew that her body. Naked fotsteps on the walls of
vision, We were between door and the words, blinking
‘a moment,

Back to my mind forgetting.

‘The door swung shut being nothing. Her voice seemed to be
humming. Within the stillness amorphous.

‘A dog forgetting the sky

The eyes an echo of ice seemed to focus. Except for the gaps.
‘And the blue Everything laughing.

Door of vision. I knew that was nice. Everything blue. Distance
away

Screen door, and rhythms, inspiring nothing. The door of my
‘mind, And themselves. But before things made sense, they made
less and less sense, until they made no sense at all

bby Mark Beresford

Serrewaer 1995 | Power oF THe Aets 5

d eligh tful brain a good long poem