Jake's Flea Market

say you carried your candlelight

at mid day meal tomorrow
tell yunger yours was the window into the dark   the cave 
dark inside of the predawn lined with velvet   black velvet

say you know the hand that carries the night

carried the dying of the fire in the fireplace and the firelight
in the windows of the duke’s manor house out
out into the moonless west   starless

say you know the hand that carried the gardener’s cottage
at zahna with its windows of linseed   oil cloth and his garden
land bought from the duke and the gardener’s sleep
all wrapped in the black dyed dark that’s carried
past the silent stroke of midnight

say you know the hand that carried the serf
and the dirt of the duke’s land he’d never leave
know the hand in which he stirred the straws of his bed
sat up in his nightgown   shivered
found his tinderbox   started fire
and by the wick of his candlestub   searched

searched to know the hand that clawed the bottom of dawn   found
a lose sun   a round coin   a gleam   a glitter
brought it up into the day   spent it   bought light   bought warmth