Recurring Dream [2001]

i have this image in my mind of a pachyderm
whose skin is too large and who stands by the ocean
with waves crashing on the rocks about her
and she cries and screams at the unfeeling gloom
as her skin melts off her in great folds of flesh
and the pounding surf is my heartbeat

i have this image in my mind of a telegraph wire
which runs down in a steep tightrope from nowhere
with the blank sky and the ground too far below
and it pierces a phone booth which is made of wood
as the walls close in around an ancient sounder
and the electric pulse is my heartbeat

i have this image in my mind of a neighborhood
where all the pastel houses look exactly the same
with stucco walls and cinder gravel cactus yards
and the directionless sun glares from overhead
as i roam from street to street seeking landmarks
and my trudging pace is my heartbeat

i have this image in my mind of a cartoon forest
when medieval gangs of animal bandits prowl about
with their bows drawn tie me to a gnarled tree
and from the fogged distance i hear their laughter
as the earthquake footsteps of the giant draw near
and his thunder path is my heartbeat