The Sympathy of Angels
The Sympathy of Angels
Original Text
James Arthur. Charms Against Lightning. Port Townsend, Washington: Copper Canyon Press. 2012
1Being of tragic bent
2we incline to the future
3and the past. But we
4see you. We
5see how tired you are
6as you lean on your rifle
7or your shovel.
8We see the fired shells
9and the head they go into.
10We too are shells,
11you too are graves.
12Equally to all men, we
13have nothing to say.
14Adore. We are just. We
15serve a monarch
16in a silk sarcophagus.
RPO poem Editors
Jim Johnstone
RPO Edition
2013
Special Copyright
Poem used with permission of the author.