*

Struggling against more turbulence
this broken concrete can’t shut down
and cool—your shadow’s too old

leans down and though the wall
falls closer and closer
it tries to rest your face

—a sleeping face
still circling where your forehead
mingles with rocks and weeds

—even your grave goes to pot
lets anyone point at it
as if sunlight could urge you

to spread out inside a sky
that has no days left, is lifted
face to face with the ground.

Simon Perchik

Simon Perchik’s recently published books of poetry include The Autochthon Poems (2001, Split/Shift) and Touching the Headstone (2000, Stride Publications). His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Partisan Review, Poetry, The Nation, and Colorado Review.