The Spike [: or, Victoria University College Review 1957]
After the Storm
After the Storm
After the storm
with the new-risen sun wheeling
in its chains and the cry of gulls
kneading the air my now-healing
eyes saw and again believed in the lull
of women's voices binding a wound,
and wild honey spilt on the ground.
After the storm
when the once-wild day cracked like a world
between the fingers of a laughing god
and houses like dogs shook the furled
clouds loose and the earth no longer bled,
I saw again the fire in a woman's hair
warm in the refuge of our desire.
After the storm
the sleek moon rose above the trees
heavy with birth while the same night
I had always known sped like a sea
over hollow land, and the light
failed in blind windows. I saw it all pass
and knew my loss.
*