Works by Author - John Hollander

Swan and Shadow

                        Dusk                

                     Above the                                    

                water hang the                                         

                         loud            

                        flies              

                        Here             

                       O so              

                      gray           

                     then                 

                    What             A pale signal will appear

                   When         Soon before its shadow fades                

                  Where       Here in this pool of opened eye               

                  In us     No upon us As at the very edges            

                   of where we take shape in the dark air       

                    this object bares its image awakening        

                      ripples of recognition that will         

                         brush darkness up into light

even after this bird this hour both drift by atop the perfect sad instant now

                         already passing out of sight

                       toward yet-untroubled reflection

                    this image bears its object darkening

                   into memorial shades Scattered bits of

                  light     No of water Or something across

                  water       Breaking up No Being regathered

                   soon         Yet by then a swan will have

                    gone             Yes out of mind into what

                     vast 

                      pale

                       hush

                        of a

                        place

                         past

              sudden dark as

                   if a swan 

                      sang

  

Swan and Shadow by John Hollander