A Michael McClure Poem

hairy man
cover art by Wallace Berman for McClure's 1964 Ghost Tantras.

Dark Meat

In COVER Magazine October, 1995

1.

THERE'S

A

SIGH

of relief

from

WHOEVER

I

am

NOW

a deep

BREATH

 

2.

WHOEVER

ER

I

AM

I

 

am

not

 

just

meat

 

in

the

dark

 

3.

IN

this

dark

meat

 

is

 

no

light

 

at the

edge

 

O

F

NOWHERE

 

here

 

no

here

 

4.

IN

SIDE

 

out

side

 

six

trillion

 

STARS

 

squared

 

to

old

 

velvet

 

fingers

 

5.

 

THE TER

RIBBLE

self

hangs

 

on

 

lean

ing

 

out

of

 

past

 

finger / star

clusters

 

6.

 

It's

 

O.

 

K.

 

faces

 

stop

 

like

sighs

 

in

the dark

 

relief

 

of

no

where

 

7.

 

EV

ER

 

WHO

terrible

faces

 

spasms

 

demi

spasms

 

re

liefs

 

  — Michael McClure

COVER