PRESENCE TO KNOW OR FIND OUT

But now it hits us again

This granular sense of texture,

Living in a waking dream or light

Or back into unconsciousness—

Squeeze the nomenclature forward,

Draw exchange or the fluid interaction

In our ongoing discourse—

I had wanted you every inch,

Nothing like you ever existed,

But something went awry,

The weather changed or doubt

Mounted under our nose

And it hit us hard, backed us down

Kept putting purpose ahead of the moment

When all this transpires, always

No way to keep time from humming forward

Stretch of places far ago or gone,

Living one more time in remembrance

Or the photo that says it all—

Clever unions in the eternal rift,

Dangling parts of this incessant desire

To give back our transgressions

And find a presence still aglow

--Bill Pearlman

Sept. 2011