Heat at the Center

Sweeping from the shrouded mouths of volcanoes,
in gusts, in feathers,
coaxing the trembling leaves to fly from their anxieties,
covering the pathways with sweat,
bathing the sanctuaries in encrustations of uncivil marrow—
hesitating, plunging, crazy with romance—
this heat is totally absorbing, busy, irresistible,
and it has caused many marriages and children,
and one day soon it will cause the oceans to beat,
and the oil to explode in car motors,
stranding unsuspecting travelers in the middle of the night
with lovers and dreams of lovers, unable to distinguish,
and then everything in the world will expand somewhat—
mouths and hands, clouds and fantasies,
wings of myth and pitchforks of legend—
and finally, in the days before ashes, a kiss will take us forever,
and every act of love, audacious as the wild carrot,
and the whole world, will be sad and humorous.