I walk out the door of this new my-home
through then beyond the reach
of maddening streetlights
to the gravel path descending into the marsh

I come here hungry
for a shock
for a confirmation
for a goddamn sign from above

As I near the water, the wooden posts marking the path’s
edge shine whitely, primly,

the darkness thickens
my muscles tense  
   from fear or cold

and suddenly I have arrived
the path has come to an end
all there is is reflected in a still creek
and the stars are indecipherable

Eyes dry, ankles chill with waiting
neck bent back, I watch
   Star people, I am here!

Their brilliance is unchanged
no message, no fiery comet
no night bird’s shattering cry

I give up, my eyes close
and it comes:

   when I dissolve into darkness
   when the distance between seer and seen collapses

   my skin is the skin of the world.

I walk out the door of this new my-home
through then beyond the reach
of maddening streetlights
to the gravel path descending into the marsh

I come here hungry
for a shock
for a confirmation
for a fucking sign from above!

As I near the water, the wooden posts marking the path’s
edge shine whitely, primly,

the darkness thickens
my muscles tense  
   from fear or cold

and suddenly I have arrived
the path has come to an end
all there is is reflected in a still creek
and the stars are indecipherable

My eyes dry, my ankles chill with waiting
neck bent back, I watch
   Star people, I am here!
Their brilliance is unchanged
no message, no spontaneous comet
no sudden reddening of the Milky Way

I let my eyes close
and it comes:

   when I am not seeing
   and not seen
   when the dark behind my closed eyes and before my open eyes is equal

   my skin is the skin
   of the world.