by Peter Grandbois
to sleep
the absence can’t explain
the shadow
shifting
on the water
the light
drifting
across the wall—
yesterday, when you stood
deep in the dreamed grove
the swollen sky above
glowing
a sharp glass
of unknowing
listen to the bodies touch
inhale the brief earth
keep it with you
there are oceans underground
Peter Grandbois is the author of fourteen books, the most recent of which is Domestic Bestiary. His plays have been performed in St. Louis, Columbus, Los Angeles, and New York. He is poetry editor at Boulevard and teaches at Denison University in Ohio. You can find him at www.petergrandbois.com.