Four Poems

by categories do we maister [master] the world

we always think that we are looking on looking in

that it is in us to see

that it is the long-nosed mouse underground
gobbling the artichoke roots
that the diamondback's a heat-seeker
that we can read the broken sand
revealed by dawn
the scutter-marks and fine-drilling
all for food and danger

we always think we are looking on looking in

sand scutter snake snout-mouse
if we speak them they will be -
and made ours by arrangement

the bones rattled cunningly in a cup
scutter across the baize till time runs out
...