Abraham Lincoln

The deer and the antelope play

The hiccup of the telephone wires

Birds tossed in and out of the fray

Clouds rushing in loose focus

Afraid if he drops his glass into this room

Might just stare a hole clear through

Like a thumb pushed into the paper mache

Grizzly that rides the prey

Pale green life vibrates across the Abraham Lincoln

Curses spin beneath his chin

Not to pass any judgment

Over the deer and the antelope play

Over the boys swapping names

And the girls folding papers into clipper ships

When they've wandered from the parade route

And the room fills with aquarium lights

Cursive in a tangle on the wall

And the grizzly lies in deep deep slumber

From the cold cold places behind the Abraham Lincoln

Where the wallpaper will not fade

Magnolias pressure up against the bank from the dark as the deer and the antelope play

The clicking of their heels, the clicking of their heels

Pale green life vibrates across the Abraham Lincoln

Over the boys swapping names

And the girls spinning curses across clipper ships