First Lesson
On earth we have the idea of a circle
because the eye is eternal,
and if I were to give you a conch shell
the shape of your ear,
you would know also the motion of sound
floating in the same direction
as a flock of birds
shifting from one pole to the next.
The ear is no heavier
carried on the back of a mule.
We lesser ones call birth
a theory of motion parting the voice from the body,
a wind rising with the gift of tides.
