Arctic Incantations Only in Their Nightmares
Since ghosts make sounds of silver freezing, we
Do not hear specters. Lost, their metal stains
Of tarnish are more silent. Throats might see
Them as the smoke from Eskimos. Refrains
From howling will not do. The throttled ice
Inside their breathing passages is cracked.
Its frigid splinters will not quite suffice
To teach us why their voices can’t be tracked
Except by shamans dreaming by a fire
Inside a spirit igloo. Mixed with air
Inside our noses ghosts kill off desire.
We almost smell them in their sleet despair.
We cannot touch them and their snowflake tongues
Cannot intone except inside our lungs.
~ Phillip Whidden
by phillipw | Aug 2, 2024 | GH, HA, SP |