when I called my daughter who was born Helit, Natan Alterman said, he hid & she’s Helit. I hid my face like the veil of the ark to the sight of the tiny size of her face peeking out at me in hiding.

—October 1, 1991

            *

in a bit
i’ll leave here
to express her
won't scab over.

no witness
of time past
only half
his witnesses.

—May 2, 1991

            *

don’t leave me a shortest ray
pressed between the clouds in insult
rather, leave me a flash line
from sun to sun.

—Nov 1990

            *

holy is my death.
one day will come & say “enough.”
another will come in yr place.
will come & receive its portion
in the world.

—Dec 1989

            *

the soul is hard
as a sole
which all the shoes
tread on

—Dec 1989

            *

if i came to choose for myself a ground for the world to come
i wdn’t have been able to choose among the days of awe
& if i chose my death day, i wd’ve chosen the fast of gedalia, today.

—Oct 2 1989

            *

i insert
all the bird droppings in the poem

—1989

            *

do you have an apron?
of all womens’ garments
the apron preserves the smell of the house.
bc she wiped her hands on the apron
my mother from the stove.

—1989

            *

unified fate for person & house.
removal of the cluster of the head, the liver, the spleen & the bowels.
shriek of the bowels & roar of the heart muscle.
dragging the stove
person dies.
house destroyed.
person dies you don’t sense the progression of death
house destroyed before yr eyes.

—June 1989