Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Atsuro Riley

Chord

Chord

Chord

Come the marrow-hours when he couldn\'t sleep,
the boy river-brinked and chorded.

Mud-bedded himself here in the root-mesh; bided.
Sieved our alluvial sounds—


Perseverating fiddler-crabs pockworking the pluff-mud;


(perforated) home-bank gurgle and seethe;


breathing burrow-holes, under-warrens,
(pitched) pent-forts, coverts;


a rabbity heart-hammering amongst the canes;


bleat of something;


sleeping Mama grinding (something) with her jaw;


Daddy rut-graving gravel driving off;


the desolated train-trestle rust-buckling —and falling;


an echo-tolling cast-iron skillet like a gong;


downrivering gone (gone) gone (gone);


Sylvia supper-calling her fish-camp fish with a bell;


putting her tea kettle! wren-calls on for the crying
marsh-wren orphans;


R.T. tale-telling down by Norton’s Store
"Where every Story cauls a Grief";


Daddy —nine-eyed, knee-walking— aisle-weeping at the Bi-Lo;


Mama mash-sucking sour loquats in the shed;


ire-salts quartzifying in the dark;


the caustics;


the fires;


far Fever Creek revival-tents hymning and balming;


bees thrive-gilding the glade;


hand-strang bottle-oaks (and intricated yardwire-works)
clocking and panging;


Viaduct Forge & Foundry beating time;


the bait-boys along the dock drum-dunting their buckets;


vowel-howling over the water;


the river;


RIVER.
Close

Chord

Come the marrow-hours when he couldn\'t sleep,
the boy river-brinked and chorded.

Mud-bedded himself here in the root-mesh; bided.
Sieved our alluvial sounds—


Perseverating fiddler-crabs pockworking the pluff-mud;


(perforated) home-bank gurgle and seethe;


breathing burrow-holes, under-warrens,
(pitched) pent-forts, coverts;


a rabbity heart-hammering amongst the canes;


bleat of something;


sleeping Mama grinding (something) with her jaw;


Daddy rut-graving gravel driving off;


the desolated train-trestle rust-buckling —and falling;


an echo-tolling cast-iron skillet like a gong;


downrivering gone (gone) gone (gone);


Sylvia supper-calling her fish-camp fish with a bell;


putting her tea kettle! wren-calls on for the crying
marsh-wren orphans;


R.T. tale-telling down by Norton’s Store
"Where every Story cauls a Grief";


Daddy —nine-eyed, knee-walking— aisle-weeping at the Bi-Lo;


Mama mash-sucking sour loquats in the shed;


ire-salts quartzifying in the dark;


the caustics;


the fires;


far Fever Creek revival-tents hymning and balming;


bees thrive-gilding the glade;


hand-strang bottle-oaks (and intricated yardwire-works)
clocking and panging;


Viaduct Forge & Foundry beating time;


the bait-boys along the dock drum-dunting their buckets;


vowel-howling over the water;


the river;


RIVER.

Chord

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère