Torches for Michael McClure, sage of the mysteriosos

by Jake Berry

The torches of heaven
outwit the rage of humans

They gather without effort
in the deep strata
(where the Old Ones are buried) —
Their cabals mean nothing
but conquer everything

Sleep.
arrange the fossils and sediment
Listen to the mineral voices rising
Copulations in their central ores
will wake us in a cold sweat
from the Unknown revolving

Whose Being
is all process and rebellion ?
Remember the kisses in high Edin *
where rivers are born
and the hankering elements
where Imagination ripens

* Edin is a Sumerian word for steppe.