The Song of Tsi-laan

By the river, on my side of the stream

I soaked my feet, and with rod fishing

Looked past the stream and seen

A forest with foggy stirring

That from my end, seemed

Blurring and blurring,

And so odd and alluring,

That my cast was quickly reeling,

And my line was furthering,

And I feared my hook be caught

At that river bank or grassy knot—

But, I would not be here long to lark

For I need only 2 pounds of carp:

And there’s no time to daze

And my attention mustn’t dart

For I have realities to feed

And for that I must start

I felt the water rise to my knees

And flow out the river brim, lick my breechcloth

And on the young grass, with sharp needling

Rose and itched what bites I thought

Tick or mosquitoes feeding

And it was only a moment

A blinking glance from the stream

And the light splishing, that I immersed and listened

Turned to a rushing that uproariously teemed

And drowned the bed at my feet, the foundation in the sweep

And stepping farther back into the wood behind

With my moccasins in hand and rod snagged I leaped

Where line and half the cast were dragged into the sweep

And the river brushed and brushed against the streamline

And farther and farther that wood on the other river side

And yet, this will not be my upset

I will make a new line, and with another

Fly tied to this shorter rod, and I will start

On my fishing, for I need nothing other

Than my 2 pounds of carp;

And there’s no time to daze

And my attention mustn’t dart

For I have realities to feed

And again, for that, I must start

I have walked about the bright wood

And found fly and thread to spin my rod

And this time tied the hook a snood

For if there another rushing barrage;

The sun setting in the north,

Dropping a shadowy hood down my face

I had no choice but light the last torch

And sepulcher the river base

And by the river, on my side of the stream

I closer came, as the water was tame,

And soaked my feet, with rod fishing

Looked past the stream and seen

The forest with foggy stirring

That from my end, seemed

Furling and furling

So eerie and unnerving

And heard at quiet night, the cast reeling

And line furthering,

Yet hadn’t feared my line be caught

So at the toiling bend of my rod

I knew to then fish and not grassy knot

I pulled up the cast and my back hogged

But not human strength could lift

Whatever creature had been there beneath

And yet the reeling was still reeling

Until I heard then a rift,

As if—as if, the earthly coil had shift

So mundane the waters had become

They stirred calm from out her lungs

The foggy wood on the other side

Was entreating closer, and closer

By my riverside, crawling and crawling swift

And from shoulder to shoulder

By my riverside, that wood so close could not

By my eyes, become less blurring

But by my ears this wood could not be more alluring

These screechings, these explosions,

Heard I, shrieking and such ear curdling

I could but not be left frozen in this purging moment

The shadows played amongst still fog

And their faces taut to twist and shedding rot

By my very eyes, on that side of the stream

I forgot what purpose here had me brought

I knew if life to this moment a dream

I could do nothing but daze

At this wood here from a ways

So blurring and horrifying and alluring

What is this but the end to all days?

What is this but damnation for all those astray?

And at the edge of that wood

There on a rocky ridge stood

A coyote, it’s eyes odd and mouth purring

It’s eyes met mine with desire, closer came

As if my being was to it alluring, so alluring

And I neither teetering nor hithering

Nor the fire waving nor wading

Had looked at two moons

At jaws, beastly and lip curling

While the waves stood still

And saw it’s tongue shivering

And it’s jaw snooty and quivering

And with some leverage or lost will

May have leaped from its bur for the kill

Yet I ne’er drew from its luster eyes

And I feigned it’s howls for the night sky

I shook and downcast my face it’s long declarations

And it looked on sadly with its luster dried

And the earthly bed no longer sounded its palpitations

And after some war raged on from behind its great furs

And it looked on while this blurring

Land it stood was sinking and sinking

Not a glance below, none blinking, nor a wince

It did not move from its demise

And it looked forward as I rise

And it’s nose no longer wrinkled at my fragrance

And it sunk below and again the rushing tide

Blew past my foundation and my stick and my snood line

And I leaped further back, to brighter wood inside

With no string I looked on, at the stream

Teeming, so teeming with hopping carp

Who leapt side by side,

Dancing and dancing with unashamed pride

And in the moony sky, the white glistening sky

The moon like that coyotes eyes

Looked upon me , and reflect the fire

Sepulchered by my riverside

And I-I remember what purpose brought I

For there’s no time to daze

And my attention mustn’t dart

For I have realities to feed

And for that, I must start

No longer must I lark, for I need

Only my 2 pounds of carp