Binary stars, heartbeats dueting—martial
& celestial is the music of the spheres.

Pumped from Andromeda, filtered through gel,
Unspeakably searing,
                                   the white-hot craniums, fingers

To clench & unclench, amniotic brine
Of space dust & pneuma, of blastocysts alchemical

& nodding to the office Muzak: Coltrane,
Clifford Brown, Sketches of Spain & Birth of the Cool

& N’s belly paunching in its role as Venus
Of Willendorf. The camera abracadabras,

Rubbing its crystal ball—
                                       penis & toe, umbilicus & umbilicus
Gerrymandering their Route 66, twin boats of Ra

Catching some zeds in the amniotic night-towns
Before they burst forth wailing, sails unfurled with dawn.

   Contributor’s notes

   Introduction
   Something of Us to Prove Our Afterlife: Notes on “Ochre”
   Table of Contents
   Acknowledgements

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