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INDEX OF REFRACTION, by Séamas Cain
Copyright © 1987 by Séamas Cain
Visual Images created by J. Doroff Tanner
Copyright © 1987, by J. Doroff Tanner
All rights reserved.
Published as a chapbook by
the Silver Birch Press,
16 Ravensdene Park,
Belfast, Northern Ireland,
BT6 0DA
silverbirchpress@hotmail.com
_________________________
THE UNSILENCEABLE BELL
hanuman langur will be sinister, remember
blood of the mallard is
ancient waves, bitter pounding
the hanuman langur the old
wickedness of black wet leaves
maidenhair ferns are symbol of
death white white, voice of
light blows away the word
mallard mallard the unsilenceable bell
what is poetry? a fisherman said
mallard, hanuman langur, maidenhair fern
weight, i remember the sequence, soaring
stars the final condition, the
astral rock is to be broken
a new concept of, and basis
for, human development has
become an urgent necessity
i am an anarchist because the
future is implicit in the present
hanuman langur, mallard, maidenhair fern
foam is not a sigh, cloudy
dark robe water surrounds the motion
of two trout, eyes become
drained of fluid, drop by drop
the unsilenceable bell
sky, light, the color
of lemon, between
trees, light streaked by
light slender brown, the
mallard was looking at it
THE CRYSTAL SHOE
bare body floating on surface
of the water, weeds of
water between my ankles
between my fingers, a lemur
will be creaking as the
water wind, rolling, rides him
lemur takes the crystal shoe
tide, shadows, music
i pursued the sound
not foam not lungs not women
but the ebb of animals
poetry & glimmering
behind a black turnstone
my toes are like claws, bird ponderous
my mouth is dropping
the lemur has a clear &
pale body, creature & growth, i
encumber, lemur, mindlessness & maintain
the lemur quivered to
woods foam in the heat
lemur takes the crystal shoe
cold light drifting down my
throat, now the lemur has
vermin & water weeds in
my long hair, brown &
green, he does not fear
disease, he pushes the stinking
river muck, black bulk
THE LEMUR OF THE HOLY GHOST
jackal began to hope
again, wind crowd, elemental
trumpeter swan filled
temple blood well, riveting the
flesh, drops, to altar stone
the swan discomposed
leather, air rushed round her
wetness of the rushing, the
jackal rain, jackal wind, like trees
disheveled, remember black rivers
my dream, jackal jackal, i am
content, the jackals are
merely decorative lilies
the swan is confused, disturbed
i had thought that
dragonflies were the sun
i remember a saxophone
short legs & long body, stark
pattern of the skin
the lemur of the holy ghost
body muscle & mind, hegelian spirit,
inseparable, embraces the whole together
clarity is elegant, but overwhelming
appetence, immersion, fascination yearning
trumpeter swan will
destroy these walls
the lemur of the holy ghost
fall down! jackal jackal
flesh slain! jackal jackal
body triumphant, ambitious, feet &
stride enormous, the swan loses
self in the moment completely
THE BAGPIPES
cloth next to the body
wind sound horses, eyes & bones
rock drip is mirror of druid chant
ferruginous hawk & red-shouldered hawk
an otter heaves, druid chant loneliness
dripping, from the black waters, the bagpipes
mountain, mist, shadow brown shadow
lips are sad gaze, lips
dragging the otter in
foam white mountain moisture cool cool
the spotted bull is warm, mild, trees
are trembling on the white bull
blood was the wetness over the otter
ferruginous hawk & red-shouldered
hawk creased into the
world pulsation pulp, they
roiled water wreathe, along
the veins, fat fat
the otter tears at his
own pelage, teeth are
yellow gray, pain screams out
my huge skin, skin reflecting
now the color of amber, & pale
the white bull rushed into
nothing but grayness
the bagpipes trembled against gulls & dippers
LOHENGRIN
sirenian cow sweeps violet
cities through her brain
the cow was never plump
the cow slips into the
slime slippery hollows of her own body
flesh cavity sunken, reverberated basin
lohengrin skinned a blue hare
writing is the dialectical surge of
image against image by which the
cosmic falsity is poised in contrast
cow will be undulating eyes
elastic medium of pulsation
lohengrin skinned a second blue hare
articulation, sunlight space, was
moving, was gracefulness & formality
beauty spacious intelligence
sirenian cow, in
reply, rubs against
great jars jars
lohengrin skinned a third blue hare
he is languid he is calm
he is like dark deep honey
body suggests intense
compressed motion concealed
beneath a costume
of skin & fat
THE BUTTER OF THE BRINE
druid will be shrill
careless power & careless brain
fox & badger in a stupor
i see existence, core, as
things unappeasable, & a dog
shouted & barked
rock insatiable animals will
not break, desires, teeth &
skin druids, are unfilled
the butter of the brine, arctic
shrew & cinereous shrew
bones of the druid's face are as if
hewn out of splintering beech wood
forgotten vesture, sun, hidden, burns
i am drowned there, a
dog-man thought, image
reflected on the water
a fisherman loosens out
hair, long & crisp & phallic
druid is mauve mild beast, he
is purity pale beast
the dragonfly world collided with
fat, & fox & badger lurched
a moorhen ruffled her own
tears into facial mask painted
arctic shrew & cinereous
shrew, rotting teeth &
self self-drinking out of the
pond water, my thighs
were bulbous branches
THE BEETLE
the tree kangaroo makes a gesture
the dragonfly plunged into river
morning moves down asiatic
hills, white & red sand
but australian gulls &
dippers, & a beetle
an electrician's
writing illuminates
as it devours *
skin shred worn
body shards blackened &
broken, saffron &
red, torn by the
tree kangaroo
brittle fragment
i love all who are seldom beautiful
skin will be scabrous, allay
the irritation, rub
beetle beetle field "j" long &
fluid burrhel salt, the
sun is a blank now
tibetan burrhel tibetan blue
feet are red, sunlight the color of peach
tree kangaroo is observed, in
courage, resilience, energy
exuberance of her nature
THE CATAMOUNT
between my ankles & ribs
pressing into every
fold of bleeding
skin, the catamount
is massive
ecstasy, leprous color
pearl pale, brooding up the
spine of the catamount, spine
that flattened to apple wine
night like milk smooth quiet, willows
by river restless dripping wetness
whispering cloth & body spread, dragonfly
& spider, limbs tenuous & tight, eyes &
sweat ankles shank & jaw ribs, grappling
surrealist plover's beak is a rose
there are weeds clinging to the
catamount, he swims, he is
fish cool, i touch his limbs
the plover, or catamount
a rose, moist red iridescent &
dripping, is little fire light
catamount, long red withering
body, hanging down, realized
the corruption in the
woods, deeper than
the warm wind could
penetrate, at the moment
THE OX
the ox is heard, waters
of its veins & ducts are
a shield before the sun
i stopped writing, the ox the
marmoset the earth awakening
antiquity inside a marmoset
sweetness as a slender stalk &
lacings, celery leaves, frill
z & Z look, astounding dimension, poise
of the world & sunrise crickets crickets
body fills the field, marmoset, & a rattle
i stopped writing, the ox the
larval bees, & grave-robbers
wall pillars /bending /polished white rock
marmosets are as deluded in
their disillusionment as in
their primal illusion
my fingers become shadows of
desire, having lost motion exertion, crystal
& liquid upon the plane of
polarization light traversed,
rotatory twisting effect
THE PREACHER
bearded seal pushed her
slowly lips wailing on
river water gentle, lips
of silver skin in closeness
light from the sun pierces through
the mesh of petals which
is in moisture falling
mirror is symbol of universe matrix of
heavenly dolphins, bewildering
reflexes, convex projection
ibis & bearded seal
ibis-killer remembers the
burnt citadel, silence
the preacher was
ingenuous, k "k" Q moves
swollen images rich in movement of signs
mist "k" unfolding the rose white petals
body is a cloth the color of topaz
architecture of the preacher's body
is determined by the fat
line of the lips, fat &
folding chin, full fat cheeks, round
smooth neck, heavy shoulders &
hips, features very small in
proportion to size of the
body ibis & bearded seal
THE EMERALD STONE
bittern fell boring into woman fat
sundown blood foams dragonflies & dolphins
sky is green green cormorant green
the zebra will be
rapacious dream dark, chambers
of the brain, echo
the rose shines like ember to
hurt muscles & skin, torture
my toes were tangled in sand green & yellow
music of a body, motion, heavy motion
saxifrage & seaweed, the emerald stone
zebra drags the light to the
bottom, he shudders & pulls
then the bittern set
herself into mirror against
mirror heart, stars
are the weapon
alder wood, her head is mask wrap
CHARLEMAGNE
charlemagne is
fishing, & wading
he bites cold hard the fruit
sand is floating in the waters
the pribilof shrew now is scarlet
maidenhair fern, the brown lizard
they leap against the
yellow waters, lips & lungs
charlemagne & the black-footed albatross
charlemagne & the pribilof shrew
water mother, cold, creeping, in
her veins, fingers & sweat, bone
battering bone, limb grinding into
limb, skin of the raw fingers decayed
what is falsity when fish think
it is truth tends to become
truth just at the time fish
think they have discovered
it to be falsity
the albatross is now
quadrangular, cringing
charlemagne & the pribilof shrew
charlemagne & the black-footed albatross
moon is shivering weapon hole, the
water in a gather that folded
charlemagne is
shaking his hair
maidenhair fern, the brown lizard
lust is a small
bell, murmur, low, harsh
interspersion, trouble body &
sparkle to the eyes
THE PERFECT SERPENT
silver fox pressed petals touching
skin grass texture moist &
warm warm, & body, & the
manatee, crying among
roses forced & grass
the brow of the manatee
is like sheen of bronze
in warm warm water
the body of the manatee
was rolling over people
but the fox careened to
the eaves of his own bone
disillusionment & dragonflies
are connective tissue between
the falsity of symbols
my body is
fruit, leaf red red
fetter, i said
the manatee was
rhythmic stiffness, even
deep, avaricious
into the brain
flower pale person, pale as
hands of the other person
manatee, & the perfect serpent
wall after wall to the skin
eyes white night, anti
seducing, anti enticement
manatee, & the perfect serpent
to lie upon the edge
of sky, over sky
THE DELECTABLE MOUNTAIN & THE SILVER MOUNTAIN
the sky is morning violet, darkness & light
dreams alone give endurance & power of strength
however, the merganser is tossing in
the wind, motion & body swaying
brain is tortured by shadows of
brain, water is a throne
the delectable mountain & the silver mountain
black-footed ferret struck, & water
reddened by blood, under the
pool, the rose floating, within
layers over layers of the yellow water
but what are these mountains?
they are the last mountains, the very last,
or a metamorphosis into something hollow!
& they are silent mountains, completely silent,
full of bubbles & words, thrones, i don't know,
that's all language, there's nothing else,
until freedom, my brain, until you find me
septet of silver pillars
symbolize the dualistic world
to be sure, the ferret scalded &
huddled skin, she withered in a
flexure, wisdom itself is consumed
listening to the rain, the merganser
is vast, the merganser remembers
the wind, black black trees
ferns & mosses, & a boy
lips move over his own
hand, succulent, shakes
THE BLUE COW
the sea otter perished spittle fur
& sweat, within tough bright leather
the body color was mauve "s" "b" pale
the otter, bull wild, pulls out of the
water, legs dripping & teeth gasping, he
slashes his own feet, hurry
Z's paws were
tooth fire, edge
fierce & ravenous
the blue cow
hermit thrush meditated upon the
action of sea turtles
sea otter is thinking of epiphany epiphany
the thrush poked at ferns & mosses
eye cohesion, clarity & sensibility
splendor * fibrous * of the blue cow, wild
beast, multiple splendor, unity in diversity
"w" walk, fragment
blackened, skin is
red & yellow
crocus herb, yellow
body & yellow sky
architecture of the mind is
determined by impatience, aggressive
personality, distress, power &
depth perspective alone reveals
THE HEARTH CAT
the rose-throated becard
screamed herself into
skin entangled by
ice, she cleaved &
bolted, sighting moist
the hearth cat hurled eyes clash
& my mouth she painted now
the body of the becard
is like stone stone warm
love, stone sheep & barbary
sheep are decorative heavyness
all my symbols are falsity
o Becard, image alone is true
skin skin thread pattern
delicate, & clear color
artist's drawing, destroys
geometric pattern weaving
rose-throated becard was
carminative & stimulant
the cat frightened the
stone sheep & barbary sheep
my body is a wall, multiple
dimensions, many colors
stone sheep & barbary
sheep were moving, but
in trance of wild retrogression
i am torpid, the flexure in rock
THE EGG IN METAL COILS
white white body of a
woman, lying outstretched on
the water wood, substance
& spirit clasped in
gnarled branches, loving him
they are creeping in
the sunlight mist, under
& over each other
the woman thinks of otter &
stoat, & in the swamp of all
sex, stoat & caribou structuralized
& hard, it was raining warm
they bend nipple &
love, clouds, clinging weakness
muscles are wires
the caribou caribou
skin is touching the hot sand, the woman
remembers the trembling skin of summer
the egg in metal coils
the egg is dabbled & lean
the wind is quiet now
the woman never thought of a ferret
a bobcat brawled weight &
throbbed, mark violet with veins
he stamped & thrashed &
decreased immersion, opaque
then the woman moved among
greenyellow boughs, wood
changes into claws
THE MEDIEVAL DOLPHIN
unhook the brim of
the sky, existence drops
away, the goat must
quench the moon itself
wings tremble, i lift
the eyelids to look
at the other side
pleasure, poking the gravel the
warmth, thinking of the mixture
the medieval dolphin prodded my lips
against the ears of goat deafened
symbols depend utterly upon the
delusions of dragonflies about
others & themselves
vesper sparrow was terseness then
roar is flexible, strenuous
Z, flesh Cross, is flesh symbol
of man, man of flesh
goat & vesper sparrow look, epiphany
is only an animal among wild flowers
the medieval dolphin is
not desire, we stagger
& skin of goat pounded against
the anvil of the sky
THE ACACIA-TREE
blue hare, & specklebelly goose
arbutus & heaths, & specklebelly goose
have you ever seen a
girl's white body? the
acacia-tree the acacia-tree
hand is an axe, color of bronze
smell of endless land
body smell, affection
consequently, rivers in the
sunrise light red red
the dragonfly, like oxen oxen
black oxen, crushes over me
the blue hare encumbers me, skin broken
to desolate veil, the blue hare hid me
however, the ibis
meditates, white
bodies in black
mud, can he smell me? the
acacia-tree the acacia-tree
night tumbled to a blossom darkness
the blue hare shakes
shadowy foam, at your
lips, my lips are moist
specklebelly goose bladed
her own down like a loose child
storm is bird water driven, the
blue hare broke into storm, mirror
is burning now, a rustling
PARZIFAL
parzifal in the wood, where
bronze gong shivers above him, huge
heaven is black pit, the zebra laughed
i could crawl inside being, because
naked, crawl to the root of trees
dreams even are destruction, &
flesh drowsy pulsation to zebra
mouth & hair, melting bones blood gleam
in the bend of the moonlight the
shivers of a moorhen
the red-backed vole
was wakeful to the
touch, birdlight, bright, stared into
yellow eye of the fire morning
parzifal quenches thirst, his fingers
become thorns, the zebra pulled
back from the irritation
the moorhen struck
parzifal & a mermaid
the mermaid lay down, body waters
dwindled, & she became nothing
but feet, light feet feet
the red-backed vole
is pale, wind is
like the wet hair of the
dragonfly, black trees
THE PANTHER'S BREATH
body stone of cormorant rolls
over & over i would yield to
the impact, body is like rock warm warm
hands are unappeasable thirst moon mother
rain is dripping through
the trees, i remember the
trees, that are dead, like
pole pale ivory, gray green, kiang shouted
the dolphin is tender trembling body wires
kiang is kissed, hair is kissed, he
floats, kissed through fluttering
& long haze of your own hair
water west, leaping, later consumes the
sun spiral, teeth & eyes, embers of
light forced through dull brown yellow veins
the cormorant is sleeplessly
loosened in body
i remember nothing but your white
skin, the dragonfly moved suddenly
bones of a lover's back are like a
carved door to the touch of her fingers
the panther's breath, saxifrages & seaweed
the eunuch & the sexual dorado
are like wild beasts
THE STONE LANTERNS
i see the stone lanterns
breath in flutter, wind in
gray shaking, heart heart
is a wing to the wind
the yak is draining, the
slight graze in touching, into
every fold of its own hair & hide
you & i touched the stone lanterns
the yak gave a whip of kettle kiss
the yak trusted the
birds of the steppes
[metamorphose] the yak was wrong
the yak is now equally wrong in
being disappointed with wild birds
all characters were interrupted
all character was interrupted
i see the brain of the yak
the yak is tall is not tall
my confusion is visible
yak was cavernous
smell fresh [weeds]
the stone lanterns
yak moves through
thick yellow clover
& meadow meadow bloom
body bowl of silver, clay red red
& toes & eyes, white pearly spots
on your throat, hornless desperation
i metamorphose the stone lanterns
i metamorphose the yak
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INDEX OF REFRACTION, by Séamas Cain
Copyright © 1987 by Séamas Cain
Visual Images created by J. Doroff Tanner
Copyright © 1987, by J. Doroff Tanner
All rights reserved.
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