Burning Island

O Wave God      who broke through me today

    Sea Bream

    massive pink and silver

    cool swimming down with me watching

                      staying away from the spear

Volcano belly Keeper who lifted this island

    for our own beaded bodies adornment

    and sprinkles us all with his laugh—

                      ash in the eve

    mist, or smoke,

    on the bare high limits—

               underwater lava flows easing to coral

                      holes filled with striped feeding swimmers

O Sky Gods      cartwheeling

    out of   Pacific

    turning rainsqualls over like lids on us

    then shine on our sodden—

               (scanned out a rainbow today at the

                      cow drinking trough

                            sluicing off

            LAKHS of crystal Buddha Fields

            right on the hair of the arm!)

Who wavers right now in the bamboo:

   a half-gone waning moon.

                  drank down a bowlful of shochu

                           in praise of Antares

                  gazing far up the lanes of Sagittarius

                           richest stream of our sky—

   a cup to the center of the galaxy!

                  and let the eyes stray

   right-angling the pitch of the Milky Way:

                  horse-heads   rings

                  clouds      too distant to be

                  slide free.

                              on the crest of the wave.

Each night

O Earth Mother

   I have wrappt my hand

   over the jut of your cobra-hood

                               sleeping;

   left my ear

All night long by your mouth.

O   All

Gods   tides   capes   currents

Flows and spirals of

      pool and powers—

As we hoe the field

   let sweet potato grow.

And as sit us all down when we may

To consider the Dharma

   bring with a flower and a glimmer.

Let us all sleep in peace    together.

Bless Masa and me as we marry

   at new moon         on the crater

This summer.

VIII 40067