Song Of The Jungle Stream - Carla Bley

Song of the jungle stream

It’s in this jungle

Of lovingly obscure possibilities

In light as yellow

As all else is green

That spring water

Becomes warm

Spread by the wind

And softly faulty

Invites eyes to follow it

From beginning to end

But eyes

Directed by anything

Even wind

End up watching it

Fixed and dried up

From within

Concentratedly

No longer of the jungle stream

One is reminded of nothing

Birds exchange wings like facts

Strangely unintelligible to understanding

A musk deer asleep

On his nose his hooves

Any young birds skyline hindrance

To flying

In crisp middle of the night

All jungle animals turn over

In communication

At the meowing of peacocks

Turning the black sky’s stars blue

And life rains down on us

As we arrange the grafting

Of hair to tree

To make of another next

Wire strata horizon

An access of clarity

And the jungle border

Draws and drags the dying man

Towards its customs