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Saccades

 

 

(work toward a poem)

 

…during each saccade, the eyes move as fast as they can

 

This much is true

NO2 aluminum bulbs

broken cycle spokes

glottal stop frost dew

bowling bowl lawn fall

 

And you, you metallic

standing there gluing

felt scraps & glitter

to flute, recorder

& zither while

 

You on the other hand you

and your BB-packed hands

your ball bearing’d whiffle ball bat

yer thinking boy’s embarrassment

where if the stress fits, wear it

oh you’ll weld wrists won’t you

 

And you, with sun in your nose

and flashlight glow-blood hands

same as noon on green-scum ponds

same as midnight canvas camp tents

in which radiant skin stretched taut

atop bruise of ochre violet rose punched

deep and high into the side of my bicep

 

*

 

When scanning the scene in front of you

or reading these words right now,

your eyes make jerky saccadic

movements and your eyes stop

several times, moving very quickly

between each stop. We can not [sic]

consciously control the speed of

movement between stops and

during each saccade, the eyes

move as fast as they can.”