Space, in Chains (8 page)

The Chinese character for poetry is made up of two parts: “word” and “temple.” It also serves as pressmark for Copper Canyon Press.

The text is set in Aldus, designed by Hermann Zapf. The heads are set in Legato, designed by Evert Bloemsma. Book design and composition by Valerie Brewster, Scribe Typography. Printed on archival-quality paper at McNaughton & Gunn, Inc.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Contents

One

O elegant giant

Riddle

Memory of grief

Song

Time

After Ken Burns

My beautiful soul

The photograph album in the junk shop

Landscape with one of the earthworm’s ten hearts

The inner workings

Hospital parking lot, April

View from glass door

July

Wasps

Dawn

Look

Rain

Peace

Pharmacy

Medical dream

Near misses

The key to the tower

Space, in chains

We watch my father try to put on his shirt

The call of the one duck flying south

Two

Your headache

Space, between humans & gods

Swan logic

Riddle

The drinking couple, similes

Your last day

O elegant giant

At the public pool

My son makes a gesture my mother used to make

Recipe for disaster

Atoms on loan

Dread

Wormwood

The sweet by-and-by

Thanksgiving

Mercy

My son practicing the violin

Stolen shoes

Passion-in-July

Cigarettes

Cytoplasm, June

Riddle

Three

The knot

Animal, vegetable, mineral, mist

Riddle

Confession

You

Abigor

Forgiveness

Pain pill

Almost there

The Pleasure Center

Lunch

Trees in fog

Summer

The organizers

Four men

Briefly

They say

Receipt

Life support

My father’s mansion

Heart/mind

Riddle

Love poem

Tools and songs

Home

About the Author