*

These graves listen to you
though they lean too far
half side to side, half

taking hold your spine, blinded
in front by sunlight, in back
by its endless bending down

as if together these bones
would steady you, in time
your limp disappear

already the small stones
buried here, there, in the open
to tell you what happened.

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.