The Song of Tsi-Laan

By the river, on my side of the stream
I soaked my feet, and with rod fishing
Looked past the stream and seen
A forest with foggy stirring
That from my end, seemed
Blurring and blurring,
And so odd and alluring,
That my cast was quickly reeling,
And my line was furthering,
And I feared my hook be caught
At that river bank or grassy knot—
But, I would not be here long to lark
For I need only 2 pounds of carp:

And there's no time to daze,
And my attention mustn't dart,
For I have realities to feed,
And for that I must start,

I felt the water rise to my knees
And flow out the river brim, lick my breechcloth
And on the young grass, with sharp needling
Rose and itched what bites I thought
Tick or mosquitoes feeding
And it was only a moment
A blinking glance from the stream
And the light splishing, that I immersed and listened
Turned to a rushing that uproariously teemed
And drowned the bed at my feet, the foundation in the sweep
And stepping farther back into the wood behind
With my moccasins in hand and rod snagged I leaped
Where line and half the cast were dragged into the sweep
And the river brushed and brushed against the streamline
And farther and farther that wood on the other river side
And yet, this will not be my upset
I will make a new line, and with another
Fly tied to this shorter rod, and I will start
On my fishing, for I need nothing other
Than my 2 pounds of carp;

And there's no time to daze,
And my attention mustn't dart,
For I have realities to feed,
And again, for that, I must start,

I have walked about the bright wood
And found fly and thread to spin my rod
And this time tied the hook a snood
For if there another rushing barrage;

The sun setting in the north,
Dropping a shadowy hood down my face
I had no choice but light the last torch
And sepulcher the river base

And by the river, on my side of the stream
I closer came, as the water was tame,
And soaked my feet, with rod fishing
Looked past the stream and seen
The forest with foggy stirring
That from my end, seemed
Furling and furling
So eerie and unnerving
And heard at quiet night, the cast reeling
And line furthering,
Yet hadn't feared my line be caught
So at the toiling bend of my rod
I knew to then fish and not grassy knot
I pulled up the cast and my back hogged
But not human strength could lift
Whatever creature had been there beneath
And yet the reeling was still reeling
Until I heard then a rift,

As if—as if, the earthly coil had shift
So mundane the waters had become
They stirred calm from out her lungs

The foggy wood on the other side
Was entreating closer, and closer
By my riverside, crawling and crawling swift
And from shoulder to shoulder

By my riverside, that wood so close could not
By my eyes, become less blurring
But by my ears this wood could not be more alluring
These screechings, these explosions,
Heard I, shrieking and such ear curdling
I could but not be left frozen in this purging moment

The shadows played amongst still fog
And their faces taut to twist and shedding rot
By my very eyes, on that side of the stream
I forgot what purpose here had me brought
I knew if life to this moment a dream
I could do nothing but daze
At this wood here from a ways
So blurring and horrifying and alluring
What is this but the end to all days?
What is this but damnation for all those astray?

And at the edge of that wood,
There on a rocky ridge stood,
A coyote, it's eyes odd and mouth purring,
It's eyes met mine with desire, closer came,,
As if my being was to it alluring, so alluring
And I neither teetering nor hithering,
Nor the fire waving nor wading,
Had looked at two moons
At jaws, beastly and lip curling,
While the waves stood still,
And saw it's tongue shivering,
And it's jaw snooty and quivering
And with some leverage or lost will
May have leaped from its bur for the kill

Yet I ne'er drew from its luster eyes,
And I feigned it's howls for the night sky,
I shook and downcast my face it's long declarations
And it looked on sadly with its luster dried,
And the earthly bed no longer sounded its palpitations,

And after some war raged on from behind its great furs,
And it looked on while this blurring
Land it stood was sinking and sinking,
Not a glance below, none blinking, nor a wince,
It did not move from its demise,
And it looked forward as I rise,
And it's nose no longer wrinkled at my fragrance
And it sunk below and again the rushing tide
Blew past my foundation and my stick and my snood line
And I leaped further back, to brighter wood inside,
With no string I looked on, at the stream
Teeming, so teeming with hopping carp
Who leapt side by side,
Dancing and dancing with unashamed pride

And in the moony sky, the white glistening sky
The moon like that coyotes eyes,
Looked upon me , and reflect the fire
Sepulchered by my riverside
And I-I remember what purpose brought I;

For there's no time to daze,
And my attention mustn't dart,
For I have realities to feed,
And for that, I must start

No longer must I lark, for I need
Only my 2 pounds of carp