H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

ANTLER

Spring Break-up Happening

Now spring break-up

is happening

the river ice

lies jumbled

in puzzle pieces

four feet high  

on the riverbank

while the river swollen

with snowmelt and icemelt

rushes by.    

River water that froze in December

now heaped in jagged piles

in the March sun

and on the undersides

of the frozen river  

ice chunks

thousands of  

icicles

the size of

a baby’s little finger.   

Tons of slabs of ice  

along the river edge  

as far up and down the river

as you can see.

with myriad miniature icicles

on the bottom of ice

the river flowed under in the dark

while we skated on it  

a week ago

under the full moon.  

[Originally published in NHS 2011, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs11/.]