McDonald


 AMERINDIAN SEQUENCE



 1



 Life and Death

Along the dark,lovely river
Silent as leaf-drift
An opening in the cliff of white quartz:
A grove of dead-looking trees
Stark in the burning sun.

Out of the black, bare sticks
Velvet-white blossoms spring:
The life-and-death tree.
Green leaves will sprout from it
As bright flowers die.
The scent of the gold-centred flowers
Pours out of the live and dead grove.

Four girls from the yam farm,
They are preparing a sister's wedding.
They throw up stones in the branches
Accurately shaking down the blossoms.
Their clothes are coming down too.
The dips of their navels fill with sweat,
Gleaming drops run down like diamonds.

Nearby, the stink of a killing place:
Black flies, bright knives.
Gleaming with sweat too
Three boys gutting fish
Marvel and fidget.