Story

Frances Leviston

Under what tree, in what part of the forest, beside which branch

of the leaf-obstructed stream, in sun or in rain,

concreted into what foundation, supporting whose house, deaf

to how many dinner parties, subjected to how many holding-forths,

compacted along with what model of car, with what registration,

wearing which perfume and what sort of pearls,

in the back-of-beyond of what country, adjoining whose under-

development land, masked by which strain of animal fodder's

pollen blown from the next field along, belonging to whom, missed

by whom, questioned by which particular method, scarred where,

repaired where, reopened how, broken how,

how taken care of, transported how, buried

how, in what manner and from what platform disclaimed

during which international crisis, during which electoral year,

under whose watch, under whose watch

and why will it surface, why will it then be permitted to surface,

the end of the story, the body we need?