5.18
light coming into fog against top of shadowed ridge 3 quails landing next to seeds on table below fence
inward form of external content person in past appears related
to apparent matter experience turns away
breathing in eyes opening motion of shadowed leaves on branch in window across from yellow and blue bed
light grey fog against shadowed shoulder of ridge white lines of waves breaking across mouth of channel
5.19
white circle of sun in clouds above shadowed green ridge 2 quails landing by seeds on table below fence
between left and right side of light how weight of green coming down from the tree before point changes
breathing out eyes slowly opening sunlit green leaves on branches in window next to yellow and blue bed
blinding white sun beside cloud above shoulder of ridge lines of waves breaking across mouth of channel
5.20
light coming into fog against top of shadowed green ridge quail landing by seeds on table next to fence
height of almost unlimited ground raised above what is outside the one who relates to thought and light
breathing in breathing out eyes opening birds chirping on branches in window beside yellow and blue bed
light grey whiteness of fog against black shoulder of ridge wave breaking onto sand across from channel
5.21
grey whiteness of fog against invisible ridge quail and blue jay landing by seeds on table beside fence
two with one of four mixed second by second contraction of zero ten given present from variant of first
breathing in eyes slowly opening sound of 2 blue jays on fence below window next to yellow and blue bed
grey whiteness of fog against shoulder of ridge line of 7 pelicans flapping to the right toward horizon
5.22
light grey whiteness of fog against invisible ridge first quail landing by seeds on table next to fence
compare objects in mind light where memory becomes remembrance of things returning overlook of painting
breathing in breathing out eyes opening quail calling on bricks below window beside yellow and blue bed
grey whiteness of fog against shoulder of ridge white line of wave breaking on sand across channel•
These poems appear in Issue 25 of Alta Journal.
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Stephen Ratcliffe has published more than twenty books of poetry, three books of literary criticism and a collection of his correspondence with Barbara Guest. His Selected Days won the San Francisco State Poetry Center Book Award. His ongoing series of seven 1,000-page books written in 1,000 consecutive days is available online from Editions Eclipse, and his daily poems-plus-photographs are available at Temporality. He’s also the publisher of Avenue B books and Emeritus Professor at Mills College in Oakland. He has lived in Bolinas California since 1973.
