10/06/2012

Sylvia Plath - The Night Dances

A smile fell in the grass. 
Irretrievable! 

And how will your night dances 
Lose themselves. In mathematics? 

Such pure leaps and spirals ---- 
Surely they travel 

The world forever, I shall not entirely 
Sit emptied of beauties, the gift 

Of your small breath, the drenched grass 
Smell of your sleeps, lilies, lilies. 

Their flesh bears no relation. 
Cold folds of ego, the calla, 

And the tiger, embellishing itself ---- 
Spots, and a spread of hot petals. 

The comets 
Have such a space to cross, 

Such coldness, forgetfulness. 
So your gestures flake off ---- 

Warm and human, then their pink light 
Bleeding and peeling 

Through the black amnesias of heaven. 
Why am I given 

These lamps, these planets 
Falling like blessings, like flakes 

Six sided, white 
On my eyes, my lips, my hair 

Touching and melting. 
Nowhere.