MEREDITH QUARTERMAIN

AT THE SCRAP-YARD OF WORDS / STELE /
TEN / SLIT / SIGN

At the Scrap-yard of Words

-litical -omacy
radiog- -inality
-forous -elativity
reit- -blimination
-rarchy -ormation
-racious -topia
-urgical -estigate
metam- -ulverize
-ominal -laxant
-bility -uneration
nomo- -oxicate
suffra- bibliop-
-anscrip- -testines
-oximately -tude
-vertly -duction
-grance -spicuous

-scription -ognize
-fection -troversy
-ine -cialism
-signates -cursion
-itious -anthrope
-ular -esterol
-pressive -halation
-guistic organo-

[reverse]

Stele

stele and stigmata
shouted the enigma
repeat after me
stele and stigmata
here a marker post
for laws, decrees, treaties
Dexileus on the Sacred Way
under the hooves of Corinth
and puncture wounds
the brands of effervescent
drinks we buy in tins


[reverse]

Ten

seconds silence, bowling pins or gallons
stetson, fingers, toes at piggy’s market
dimes cents decades days zero to one strike

part of a tent tongue to palate dollars
loonies backwards net wedded to derfoot
able or ancy drils dons or terhooks

100’s root to Norman’s ’66, zehn
o’clock five and five little blankety-
blanks, then there were nine and X years war, thou
shalt not covet neighbour’s house, wife or ass

[reverse]

Slit

Ah, yes –
let’s address each thing around.
Invent a street for the squirrel,
a post code for the leaf
that has fallen
to ground.

A branch to city this
soil of dominion.

From the glacier of belief.

[reverse]

Sign

This is a sign signing a signatory signor, signorina – sign posts
here ensigning us to design or significate. Shall we co-sign
ourselves in designations? Can we sigh now resigned to
he and she on consignment? Or send frog signals instead –
today, tomorro w. Let’s undersigh these ensignias –
here or there, enter, exit, go, stop – with secret assignations
signet swans upon that mirror.

[reverse]