Four Dirges
I don’t know about gods; but I think that the river
Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable…
—T.S. Eliot, “The Dry Salvages” from Four Quartets
Rio Grande, Rio Bravo Dirge
Thomas: It’s true, you don’t know
about gods beaten and worn
like the space left between
paired jigsaw puzzle pieces
where a child has tried
and tried to force
the wrong piece in;
you might’ve known about
gods who linger, who know
lightning bolts, who know bargains
and carry swords, but I think you
lacked the capacity to notice
their lack of capacity
to harbor and be a hand
to shade our eyes; shaded now,
you don’t know and died
not knowing the slosh of gods
and the dark gleam of gods
that reflect clean off badges
hot over paid hearts.… Read the rest