John Phillips

Six Poems

1. The words

2. how

3. Look inside

4. Flinch silence

5. To talk think-

6. Margin

The words
telling
the story

tell
a story
of words.

We like
to think
it’s us

telling
the story,
that it’s

our story
being told.

It isn’t.

how
          that time
time takes
to pass
              passes
              taking
no time
now

Look inside
each word

hope to
see an

actual thing
to touch, grasp

hold onto —

trust it is
there,

where it says
it is

Flinch silence
back to

black
smeared with

thinking
words can’t be

found for

…

Edge to
light

sliced
silent

within
thought’s

fracture

…

Light
collapses,
back,

slack,

into it-
self –

stammer-
ing,

strewn

To talk think-
ing talk
helps,

questions no
answer
it is

MARGIN

I

Remembering
not remembered
ear hearing
not said
known stillness
unknown still
table bare
light shape of
window a table is
music not music
moment momentarily
bearing light
a chair alone
against table
light perceived
pattern passing
through light
door closed fast
against music
seeing sound
brightens edges
light
remembered
fading
into

II

It will fall
fallen shadow
shadow fall
in the window
light does not
shadow table
fallen light
not sight
music
not memory
to remember
table bare
cluttered light
objects are
sound shifting
light around
disappearing
ear hearing
out of sight
music less
shadow fallen
fallen light
shapes music
beneath