—on a photo
out of coolblue
a bison
out of bitter cold
out of stratospheric skyblue
a crystal bison
from stillness, sheer,
mute as speech in utter space
from deadstill blueice
steps a crystal, a bison
apparition
a bison frozen in veneer of chilled time
cloven hooves to heaped hump
its mere eyes, its cryo-olfactory nose
smelldeaf due to rime
a crystalized bison steps forth
deliberate articulating jewel
hung round the neck of stilled rhyme
speechless
a graceful parentheses of horns
frames a frozen skull
each as sharp as the point of
breathingeverything
—intent: survive
Jim Culleny
1/29/19
Photograph by Tom Murphy
