the river was central

each branch arterial

pulling land along with it

in form of pebbles, sand, agglomerate

to accumulate

thus how beaches are made

and people are made to lie down upon them

river pulling the land along with it

pulling us along with it

as we are grass in the wind

so we are rolls of hay

wrapped in disintegrating plastic

shedding rain and the sun

in rolls or hills

subject to pitchforks

people come over the hills

with hay to feed cows and other livestock

sheep, goats and pigs

chickens

cats, dogs

snakes, foxes

marmots, groundhogs

weasels, polecats

white-footed mice

deer

kestrels and hawks

hawks fight in the air

freewheeling territorial encasings

flights over areas, mapped out with fierce eye movements 

first takeoff after the wildlife refuge or rehabilitation

after the loving imprinting

after the puppet held in front of human face

after nesting in wire and felt

after the leaf trimmings and grass cuttings

the piles of which

were once us

the air is so fragrant afterward

the scent of mowing lingers for hours and miles

the sound of the mower, so peaceful over the hills

down to the river, the dust of the mower

tractors moving over the face of the land

then bulldozers and cranes, trucks

the dump trucks

dump trucks moving over the hills

the dumb fucks

in clouds of dumb fucks

clouds of dump trucks and emissions

all the emissions, all the equations

all the heaviness of the air, tonight

is the rain moving in

is the humidity 100 percent and increasing

are the winds over 100 miles per hour

are the shutters closed

are the bathtubs filled

is the gin and beer and wine bought

is the refrigerator plugged into the toaster

are the flashlights made of tin and wire

does the water really smell that way

is the water turning into fire

is water rainbowed today

is the water up to our necks today

is the hairdryer in the tub

is the axe in the attic

are the seatbelts on

what is that beeping

are we doing a job, a heckuva one

whose job

what job

working it out

working it over

working us over

working you over

turning the sod over, turning that sod over

and under sod more skeletons

a construction of skeletons so many

as to make a catacomb

beneath the ground, supporting the city

the city we have become

just like that, like that