Mining the West: Primary Elements

I.
fingertip knead
this rick rack struggle
in the spread
crosswire threads
muscle like crevice
nose of mountain

neck, stitch issue
line by blossom
wrap, sat on
warp and weft effect
bless, us up-stitch
collar, yeah

sentence tear
rest on fault
my wrist, the roundup
when we gather
song, yeah
or ugly

II.
bark. Take care
or or or
or the wrinkle
or smear nickels
settle into letters
word at the bottom
zhiins, over the i

the language we use.
beyond that
rub the flower
into clavicle
they need be clipped
these are elbows
like stars, skin

push it around
gather the hip
or compass
pick our moments—
break the rick rack
says, either page
quilt. Look up

III.
let me respond, stick
private as armpit
where the skin
of land keeps
know there’s infant
lava rock is not lava
leap in all
forehead, nose

out our ribs:
I am sorry, say
gathers. Let me
in our strife
within the rocks
rock, but blood—
fury, from ridge
chin to breasts

tiering course
that again. Sip
swing, story tell
pass by pass
within the guts
know of monsters
to fall, water trace
tummy to knees.

IV.
But this, this
stress on the fold
bark of wrinkle
and piecing
hills to sky, land
like mountain sack

is not a mountain
is not a gorge, align
what binds the raw
of built up or collapse
altogether, words
gone with the grain

is seam rip seam
is walls in back stitch
edge, the sashing
of create, appliqué
like clouds, sentence
in strides of bark cloth.