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