Visible

waterproof with metaphor         more than encasing
      heaven
            eyes make
every move, each window, wet       lightning hits
the lights out, all us at last see each other      only
                                                           like
                                               souls again
walking this hard, electrified land       in sight
not deeper than skin       thin shallows
                                       poured upon like milk muddied upward
                                       toward out in the air between us,
groaning bones to cleave to
                 as tongues
           to significance,
to hot, to (I am my map of) when the church
burned down some got charred,
repainted the hall and parlor for appearance,
for appearance degenerates into personality,
personality a vain plaything—

[they armor as the congregation fronting the wreckage framed in fading light, a quarter faithful, porcelain features pre-disposed to being ill-treated, little ink edges under the skin rose pink: reverse if seen from the inside or thin pond-surface]

it’s encased intention attached
to the small safety of saying      attacked
to the danger of appearing over and over
      every day
you might lovingly release the touch you’ve taken
too extremely to such
      outsides       disappear
into ideas, a whole body      fed by      eyes only
                  feel beauty then
to be misleading