十一月即將來臨。

Almost November.

光，鉛的顏色，鉛的重量。

Light the color and heft of lead.

昨夜，在一陣狂喜之中，

Air raw with rain.

鄰居家的白蠟樹抖落了

Last night, in a single swoon,

它全部的葉子，旋即

my neighbor’s ash dropped

一張厚實而精致的織毯——

all its leaves at once

只有某個酋長夢中

in a weave thick and intricate—

高明的波斯製毯師膽敢——

one only some dreaming Emir’s

綠色，褐色，金黃，梅紅。

Persian carpet-master might dare—

*

green, brown, yellow-gold, plum.

在這樣的日子，

*

我有時會關掉書房裏所有的燈

Days like this,

幽禁起黑暗。

I sometimes turn off all my study lights

有一盞在我老式的電動打字機上方燃燒

and box the darkness in.

像爐膛裏的火。

One lamp burning over my old black Selectric

心臟在哼唱。

like firelight.

*

Its heart humming.

昨天，

*

從數英里內的每個方向，

Yesterday,

椋鳥的雲團不斷膨脹，變換著角度啁啾不停，

for miles in every direction,

下面是玉米地和豆田，

clouds of starlings ballooned, veering & twittering,

草壟和荒地。

over cornfield & beanfield,

剝落著。包裹著。飄揚的緞帶。

weedrow & swale.

黑如字典。

Exfoliating. Infolding. Ribboning.

黑如你眼窩中波動的凝視。

Black as a dictionary.

在也不在。

Black as the wobble at the pivot of your gaze.

本身和他者。

There and not there.

構成與解構。

Itself and the other.

超維度。

Making and unmaking.

全屬自己的語言。

Metadimensional.

會眾和聖像。

A language all its own.

*

Congregation & ikon.

臨近傍晚，

*

太陽終於歸來

Early evening,

奇襲天空，房屋，樹，鄰居頹廢的草坪，

the sun has finally returned

用欲滴的色彩。

surprising sky, houses, trees, the neighborhood’s scraggy lawns,

朝西的窗上有金子迸落。

with fresh color.

它反射的光芒

Spanging gold off west-facing windows.

化作你最後一口上等威士忌的芳醇。

Its reflected light

灌木和樹迎來歸家的鳥。

mellowing down to the hue of the last of your last good scotch.

小的鳥。

Birds homing to every bush and tree.

明亮的眼。

Little ones.

我們自食其力。

Bright eyes.

We earn our keep.