Dream Song 41: If we sang in the wood (and Death is a German expert) by John Berryman
If we sang in the wood (and Death is a German expert) while snows flies, chill, after so frequent knew so many all nothing, for lead & fire, it's not we would assert particulars, but animal; cats mew, horses scream, man sing.
Or: men pslam. Man palms his ears and moans. Death is a German expert. Scrambling, sitting, spattering, we hurry. I try to. Odd & trivial, atones somehow for my escape a bullet splitting my trod-on instep, fiery.
The cantor bubbled, rattled. The Temple burned. Lurch with me! phantoms of Varshava. Slop! When I used to be, who haunted, stumbling, sewers, my sacked shop, roofs, a dis-world ai! Death was a German home-country.
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