His Illusions (A Cento), and His Narcissism (A Cento), and Vigil

Abstract

His Illusions (A Cento), and His Narcissism (A Cento), and Vigil Larry Bradley (bio) His Illusions (A Cento) Shadow & act, shadow & act —John Berryman, Dream Song #119 Now Apollo Now Narcissus But neither, and yet both Re-forming Both gods and men For the same purpose and effect Now Bacchus Now Telémakhos Forever at war within a single body All things are in his power The undying, the ever-new And now Zeus Now veteran Of being immortal [End Page 187] His Narcissism (A Cento) Also I love him: me he’s done no wrong —John Berryman, Dream Song #145 He chose to cherish water On hearing this, the river Filled and filled again Pure, without taint of earth And with his words, the music Of his infatuation Enwrapped him Pleased by each purling note And shining like a god He lacked nothing at all And facing sunrise No less amazed The earth could say no more Except his name [End Page 188] Vigil The last watch begins. The watch on your wrist begins to check breaths, once in, then once out, each end and beginning seems new. Your wrist- watch marks his slow breaths— this time gasps seep out— then, once you begin to check his slim wrists, their width with their breadth— flesh: our last means out— where IVs begin their slow track, his wrists marked like those last breaths and gasps time seeps out, your remorse begins, for his slim scars, wrist- timed—one tap one breath— for flesh, through code, out- ranking you, beginning IV’d with wrists and lasting to breath which Morse code tapped out. [End Page 189] Larry Bradley Larry Bradley’s work has appeared in the New Republic, New York Times, Paris Review, Poetry, Southwest Review, and previously in New England Review. He has received the Morton Marr Prize, the Reginald Shepherd Memorial Prize, and scholarships to both the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences. Copyright © 2013 Middlebury College Publications