It is in the highest degree
unlikely that this earth and sky is the
only one to have been created.
What is the lesson of compound leaves, catclaw
and sumac? To tremble opposite in rain,
shedding small darkness. What white blossoms gnaw
the mind? Clouds of vibernum. Ask again.
What are these fallen generations? Buckeye
and hickory. Midnight’s acorn. Blank harvest
of the moon. What harms a man beneath this tree?
His emptiness. What scent is this? Ash. Locust.
What mood severs softness from bone, what will harden
fire? The brain’s lightning. Earth’s enmity.
What water wears through wood? Fear. What is given
root? Blood. What ruptures into seed? Voice. What sky
torments speech? What is your name? What bursts the heart?
What is your name? Why do I kneel, holding my heart?
John Allman | Mike Wallace Interviews Margaret Sanger, 1957
Contents | Mudlark No. 48 (2012)