EXCERPT

 

Unarmed, unwarned

 

must she yield—

                                                                                                  must she stop—

 

a gasp           alas

           aghast            perhaps

 

expecting this—

 

                                                                                                  (whose greeting sneaks

            into her peace?)

 

at this moment

 

                                                                                  sundering syllables right

from his heart

 

 

                                                                                     Hail thou that art highly favored

 

 

 

just like that he arrives—

 

enters—

                                            in to her —

                                                                                        unto her  —              in

 

 

barges in

             just like that

 

        comes in and then—

 

              and now—

                                                                                                         how can she duck

 

out of this—

 

                alone—                 afraid—

                                                                                                         poor duck

out of water

                                       not yet known by man

 

                                                                                            forced here to stop—

 

 

(squalls in her breast

                                                                                            sudden twitches in

 

her groin—)

 

                            (shall she bend to smell the lily—

                                                                                                                                or sneak

another peek at her book—?)

 

                                                                                                            IF I AM FAVORED

                       LET ME FINISH THIS BOOK—

 

                                                                                                                       (or bolt right

 

out of this place—

                                                                                                                or look him right

in the eye)

 

                                                                                            Listen, you uninvited duck

winging in this way—

 

                                                                                                                     if I am favored

leave me be

                               —I’ve got things to do around the house

                                                                                                                      let’s put a stop

              to this plot

 

                                              sweat beads in her crotch

                                                                                                                                    sneaks

down her thighs—

 

               why me—             why me                                                                what’s in

 

this for me—

 

                                                                                             (elsewhere nails drive in—)

 

(coo to her         do to her                     do with her—)

 

                                                                                          do by her—

                                                                                                                                       right

by her—

 

                                    do not toy with her—

 

                                                                                                                    (must he sneak

in on her between breakfast and lunch—)

                                                                                                                              poor duck

plucked from—

 

                       sucked from—

 

                                                                            (what dreams hammer to a stop—?)

 

                                                     it is with great pleasure I tell thee thou art favored

 

 

          (the looked-up-to turns away—)

 

                                                                                                                 favored, favored

for what—

 

                                                                               (wanting to flee but leaning in—)

 

Mary                  Mary

                                          not contrary

 

                                                                             at Gethsemane your garden stops—

 

with cocky swells and modest belles—

                                                              what a fine crop—

 

                                                                                                                                    right

green are the grasses of grief—

 

 

                                                                                  out in the yard a red-billed duck

takes off for the lake—

 

                          as in there was an opening down the road—

                                                                                                                                a sneak

 

 

                  preview of the way which is not home

                                                                                                                that sneaks

into the scene

                               out of the distance—

                                                                                                                  terrain favored

 

with going on—

 

                         because of must

                                                      because of be

 

                                                                                                       because nobody ducks

out of this Baby—

 

 

                                                                                 Mary it’s your chance to step in—

 

for the good of—

                                  the need of—

                                                                                  (might even be fun—— right—?)

 

 

favored

                  chosen

                                                                                               oh finest fruit at full STOP

in the enactment STOP

 

                                        this unraveling STOP

 

                                                                                                           as it sneaks STOP in

 

through your favorite door STOP

 

                                                                      raining harder now STOP so duck right

 

down STOP (or out) STOP

 

                                                                  duck if you can STOP but you can’t STOP

 

                                         now he’s come

 

                                                                                                                                    STOP