two astonishing leaves//Christopher Dohse

come home where is that
where iniquities of the mothers are visited on the flesh
of defective sons

where two astonishing leaves wet from overnight rain will be taken upstairs
after they dry they will seem as common as any old dungheap
they will blow away

away where is that
where grapes are spoiled in an arbor gutted by wasps
under the bridge where the rot waits in a walnut shell’s blue sky

the pile of catalpa pods the orange cat
carry a box carry a book in the hand on the back
the stairs the leaves
wondering after a ghost who isn’t imaginary

a pile of catalpa pods
carry a box carry a book in the hand sweep and snag
sort the corms the rhizomes
the tubers the tubercles
sort the corms plant the claws down
bring them home where is that
where the morning’s wrongs once sorted in the heart seem as common
as astonishing leaves

they weigh less than nothing
they will blow away

Christopher Robin Dohse worked as an itinerant dancer for more than 30 years, including in Galveston, Baltimore, and  Charleston, SC. He has published dance criticism and journalism in many print and online publications, including Dance Magazine, Movement Research Performance Journal, New York Press, and The Village Voice. A 2007 NEA Arts Journalism Fellow, he holds an MA in Performance Studies from NYU. He now lives in Lansing, Michigan.