Jacket 20 - Drew Milne from "Ill at these numbers"

drawn till infinites stale
then hideous light crawls
off gracile to sloth touch
no pearl but larded fives
whereas once sung brine
falls in a speeding crust
showing napkin economy
and nothing to finger but
two eggs plus four toasts
triangles to buttery mush
snare slider off to flounce
mumble of lashed saucer
sunk without volte plaque
where the focus for firing
turns to a foaming ellipse

what bias fixed
or how passed
the liquid ether
thy coop active
lo wise lobe or
obsequious orb
among ministers
and right weary
fair image of the
flood of bounty
said the ferment
said ruined deep

goes brush up the sweeping
and statements re the degree
sacrosanct as the daily blurb
such is coverage sans phrase
just leaping that little danger
word per se as war on talent
done oh bread come blusher
on waves held to bosom and
cuff warp that’s fighting talk
so prelude to the embochure
first exhibit and inert manger
turning one eye on both ends
said vested the like of which
what least can need the scars
come to burn up alternatives

rough as innumerable wound
then wail and drip locution
off the loving hide that false
while new blood conceals
lead thorns veiling tyranny
is number and legion in the
long grass with not a bean
burnt on thy furrowed brow
but spoken of as light exercise
a streak of argutezza rising
to all the trawl and so forth

swiftly on the hook of x
the opponent of the latter
falls just as opus grudges
crack up fractions of day
cast off and left for knives
as in plaster or patter fire
no tomorrow and coming
so soon comes to nought
blond or gone as around
it pleases all the sack log
and still plangent parade
as the call to an executed
summary not what least
throws beauty off the tick
tongue to wag oh come
now all you scanning rows

disenchanted
at the getting
edge to smile
scarper dusts
shirk the gory
and das Volk
now showing
Euclid alone
gazing on her
bare beauties
when madame
simian twister
to lark or guts
then a wrench
do but lay off
ye silver dogs

Drew Milne teaches drama and poetry in the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge, UK. He edits the occasional journal Parataxis, and the publishing imprint Parataxis Editions. Recent books of poetry include Bench Marks (1998), The Damaged: New And Selected Poems (2001) and Mars Disarmed (2002). For details of all his publications, visit his homepage at http://drewmilne.tripod.com/

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Jacket 20 — December 2002 Contents page
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Drew Milne

from Ill at these numbers