Claire Marie Stancek
Winter 2023 | Poetry
What is the reason
for your visit
What is the reason
for your visit. What
is the reason little life
lives little live
ones and how may we make
your stay make you stay
Stay. Say the fascia was
incised say the incision extended
from the top of the bluff, where
the wind blows free. See
the edge of the world, see the
reason for your visit from the hill
top some great star, from our
hidden places.
What reason for your
summary of care,
generated. And our hidden edge of
reason our world
edge you fell
to from.
Down through me. Among here
us with hear our
toxin I would
not unpoison
you.
Cannot from. See
the others. It is spring. It is morning. How
happy I feel. How
the bleeding spaces
were inspected, how
any bleeding was already here
for you in
buried in
the downy pillow. But as though with a clear
eye one could cast
down the whole long stretch
narrow the way through
corridor my body
breathes you.
The reason for your
visit is in many ways
made plain to us.
This is about
mountains. One
dose two dose three
four. Close the
patient a ghost was
taken a door found
adequate. It is the
blue-winged cry.
This quiet dust.
From dusk till dawn
the livelong night. This
just encrusted edge
of. This dust.
What the diagnoses/Procedures.
What the recollections. What the
Diagnoses. What Active
problems. Problem.
As the attending physician I saw
the history
slick lacquered stains of
blueblack berry night
smoking roundly
resolutely it is good to strive
against the
wind and rain. Rolling the
shapes of. Active problems.
What that sound at night is
is breath
it is my own
What is the reason
whose ancestors called you down in
me and the sound
of their voices toxin
talking sound was
here hidden
hour when the
city, see sky-signs
see with
immensity
and without be
following: Falling
comet hair I’m dense with
see with
city eyes
under the greenwood tree where
category fell
split the cave of me
dripping gape
gawked wide
This season for what is
is it. Formatting of this note is
different from the original. May they come,
may they come. Not
thankful. Of heaven
or hell I have no
power to sing to bring
you to. You would be well. Tell
me where under stars mal-
presentation, abruption, pre
-term, event. With the formatting.
With the quiet
with this dust this
patient aware in the event of the given.
What fell upon us like an
Encounter, the Details of,
influence of natural objects, the visits
requested. That such
have died, and of
all the birds may
nothing evil cross
this door.
What your encounter
incised. What reason. An ant carries
a dead ant falling
forward with each step
resolute on the jute
even so follow
a wanding procedure performed
to confirm
that overnight a rose
could come. See
overnight, a rose, see a crack between
wall and star new sky. That night.
I think that no one slept. Documented as of
this encounter the skin closed
with active problems patient
back from
dream where you flew
into me
out again you meant it
documented fleeting
fleeing. Toxin my clocks and
problems may active,
but it is not hard to
tell of a rose.
Reason for
in whose lush poison my
babies fret sweat
along temples
offering ancestors little
fat fingers
drool slick.
A fist of
down from
thrown to
you. Wants to
sleep this AM. Feels
what remains O returned
uterus to abdomen. Was
there another spring
than this.
Why do you sing
still cry
out to us
the voice Voices I heard from within
the internet they or I misheard
this is a dream where lips of mine
keening cry they would ring
they said why
sing? they said
What is the reason
for your visit.
This life. The
solitary active
problem. Issues or symptoms the
formatting. Raindark drenched
when rocking I did clutch
my own bleeding
self singing
won’t you be be
my be my
be my little baby
See that such
have died, then ring
the bells! then wrung the
other issues
symptoms. Other
issues forth:
sing out
sing out
Visit your reason for what is.
Electronically
signed by who loves
the rain. With the
knife. Common
things. Abdomen: soft, non-
tender and gravid.
Agree with above.
Cont to support
anxieties. Declines
sleep aid. Plan
for Initially uninterested - will readdress. This
door you might not
open and you Q
R S yes
peach your cheek
whee whee to wit to you w
wet yes X marks the eggs
out sound up flung and away from
not here
this fluid absence
of your voice into which
I sing
my love
Visit you
Daily
Progress Note. To the operating
note may contain it
please note it may it
lies around us like a
cloud. See the
other world
present prior to
rupture. No change.
Other issues or
symptoms: harvest
moon. The blade was
then this is the way.
What is the reason for your visit to
sing out your heart. It is so far from
thee. Formatting of
my heart under
whose gloaming
I carried you
drenched through
mine with our
heart’s blood
not accepting of With rue
won’t you be my
Reason for your
rue my brief your
progress. Labor
touched with splendors of the moon.
Why all the time
to keep you
from dying I
tried. When what
you needed shelter
from was life.
From breakfast
through all the day,
A was apple pie and I
summoned you from under my heart for
it does not go out of her heart ever again
am toxin to follow
where you lead
in leaden rings she shall
cloud sense of
mouth mouth mother mouth your
cheeks warm fruity drink your
yeasty sweat of mine your
mater meter sum hummed the
matter mother what ever is the
shattered season meted I
give you the owlrd
owlred
owl red with
blooded howl
worlded oer
the door through
this noise it is the breath and that
the wall and that the wind
and that the wind breath wall wind that
the door who called you forth called
you back
you give and take and take. Take
me where could I go with you where
in gladness you were where
are you
well where are
where you would be
through the corridor
beating blood
a whirlred through
What is the reason for your visit threw
a comet streak across you
grab into my hair tangle your
fingers in threason
threaded there there
are no more seasons
she sees in no more shall be
There it is
The evening
weaving through
lattice bright become
knots of time O mine my not mine
wade thru red blude cut open out comes
you fully blue
and alive talking gesturing
braided hair of evening orange prest through O
any anymore
I give you forth
there
seasonless in dreaming with
a fragile force, a silver moon, and a cup
of light alive
I send you dripping out from
this dying cave of me
in the room
where lcoud could
sun and sun return and passes turn as dark as though
the room would be engulft release you
the room would be engulft release you
wildering worldring on shoulders sees and
wildering worldring on shoulders sees and
ring the skies sing out beyond
who electronically signed that singing
ring ring open
my loves
Claire Marie Stancek is a writer, editor, and educator. Her poetry collections include wyrd] bird (Omnidawn, 2020), Oil Spell (Omnidawn, 2018), and MOUTHS (Noemi, 2017). With Daniel Benjamin, she co-edited Active Aesthetics: Contemporary Australian Poetry (Tuumba/Giramondo, 2016). With Lyn Hejinian and Jane Gregory, she is co-editor and co-founder of Nion Editions, a chapbook press. Claire Marie earned a B.A. from the University of Toronto and holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Philadelphia.