1.

This Thoreau’s got brains
the way fish water, birds wings
and clouds sky

2.

It’s lucky he’s not a woman
or there would be a pair
of winter bears
swaying on the road
pouting their lips
toward his breasts

3.

This Thoreau’s got brains
There is nothing else in his hands
He grabs a stick
and the stick hits me
hits me hard
the way spring hits me

4.

This Thoreau’s got brains
He cheers up when he sees a lake

5.

This Thoreau’s got brains
Bird nest is his mailbox
Two letters arrive at the same time
and give birth to small letters
Feathers flutter

6.

This Thoreau’s got brains
Without a word he lets the east window glow
and the west window dim
In fact how can there be windows

This Thoreau’s got brains
Without a word he gets to be a man and a woman
and his son is still him

7.

In the room of lamplight
Thoreau’s helmet
—a volume of Homer

This person’s got brains
Snow is his horse
carrying me across water

8.

This Thoreau’s got brains
The moon shines on his nose

9.

That lyrical nose
comes close to his brain
to his woods-deep eyes
to his drinking lips
   (wish them drink deeper)

They form a brain bag
otherwise called a head

10.

Day and night
like a white cat and a black cat
both quiet
asleep on your shoulders
You collapse on the trail in the woods

Let your bed fall ill in the cabin
This Thoreau’s got brains
Let wild flowers fruit

11.

This Thoreau’s got brains
the way fish water, birds wings
and clouds sky

This Thoreau is
my cloud, the neighboring countries’
cloud, who sits quietly
on my straw hat
west of the bean field

12.

The sun is the bean
I plant. It pouts its lips toward me
I unleash water across the river

This Thoreau’s got brains

Thoreau’s helmet
—a volume of Homer