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      DAY UNTO DAY

      ALSO BY MARTHA COLLINS

      POETRY

       White Papers

       Blue Front

       Some Things Words Can Do

       A History of Small Life on a Windy Planet

       The Arrangement of Space

       The Catastrophe of Rainbows

      POETRY CHAPBOOKS

       Sheer

       Gone So Far

      TRANSLATIONS

       Black Stars: Poems by Ngo Tu Lap

       (co-translated with the author)

       Green Rice: Poems by Lam Thi My Da

       (co-translated with Thuy Dinh)

       The Women Carry River Water: Poems by Nguyen Quang Thieu

       (co-translated with the author)

      EDITED BOOK

       Critical Essays on Louise Bogan

      DAY UNTO DAY

       Poems

      MARTHA COLLINS

      © 2014, Text by Martha Collins

      © 2014, Cover art by Jane Fulton Alt. www.JaneFultonAlt.com

      All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.

      (800) 520-6455

       www.milkweed.org

      Published 2014 by Milkweed Editions

       Cover design by Gretchen Achilles/Wavetrap Design

       Cover art by Jane Fulton Alt

       Author photo by Doug Macomber

      14 15 16 17 18 5 4 3 2 1

       First Edition

      Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Bush Foundation; the Patrick and Aimee Butler Foundation; the Driscoll Foundation; the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit www.milkweed.org.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

       Collins, Martha, 1940-

       [Poems. Selections]

       Day unto day : poems / Martha Collins. — First Edition.

       pages cm

       ISBN 978-1-57131-848-0 (ebook)

       I. Title.

       PS3553.O4752A6 2014

       811’.54--dc23

      2013045896

      Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Day Unto Day was printed on acid-free 100% postconsumer-waste paper by Friesens Corporation.

       for Ted

      CONTENTS

       COMING THROUGH

       UNDER GREEN

       MOVING STILL

       AFTER WORK

       GRAYED IN

      Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

       —Psalm 19:2

      To live’s a Gift, to dye’s a Debt that we Each of us owe unto Mortality.

      —PHILIP PAIN, Daily Meditations (1668)

       OVER TIME

       October 2004

      1

      Not much. Less. Slip

      of a finger, diminished

      interval, maybe third

      of three or two.

      Water mirrors house with high

      green door opening out (no

      steps) into pure air.

      2

      Air pockets three

      hawks. Cat got

      the bird got the cat.

      Overflown. A habit

      of flight. Worn cloud

      on the edge of edge.

      Wisps. Little tongues.

      3

      Tongues at work. Talk Today

      She could did for an hour or more.

      My first her, who gave me words.

      Then at the end, before, merely Oh!

      A moment of . . . of more, perhaps.

      Oh sweet and blessèd could be.

       Oh my soul

      4

      Soul slept, called in sick.

      Late sun clouds

      the lake with clouds.

      Katydid down

      to –diddid.

      Nothing to be done.

      Little sun, quarter moon.

      5

      Moon covered, un-

      covered, covered again, cold.

      Cold and hot, very and both.

      Disturbed the Sea of Tranquility.

      Distributed by the Moon Shop.

      Distributed self in pieces.

      Oh

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