Under the earth
—After x-rays taken of the Staffordshire hoard, Anglo Saxon Britain c. a.d. 700–800
like the wings of moths,
outstretched
crumpled stacked
•
a night of dirt and detritus
gathered and secreted
in pinkish sediment
•
shadows of buried
presence, absorbed
writ in light
•
pointing
here
there
and there
•
uncovered into splendor
the past faintly recollected
•
an architecture of discard
sprung objects
in negative space
Folded Cross
—After a gold cross, from the Staffordshire hoard, Anglo Saxon Britain c. a.d. 700–800
To fold a cross into a pocket,
the soft gold arms doubled inward
re-forming its branches into
the pliable and wayward.
Along these paths of gold,
creatures intertwine,
course out from round garnet
to round garnet. Their fluid
motion caught mid tangle.
Who has done this?
Creased one mystery into another.
Artisan? Merchant? Thief?
Bending four directions,
thin girders of the planet,
into the center
___________________
… thick into thin, this parting from terse gods
unlocked arms and arced body All that was sought after
*
The press quality photos are by Dave Rowan and Daniel Buxton under the aegis of Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery.
Jaime Robles, recipient of a grant from the Fund for Poetry, published her most recent book of poetry, Anime, Animus, Anima, with Shearsman Books in 2010. She has produced many of her texts as artist books, including Loup d’Oulipo and Letters from Overseas. Her work has been published in numerous magazines, including Conjunctions, New American Writing, Shadowtrain and Volt!