April is National Poetry Month, and to mark the occasion we'll be sharing some of our favourite poems from collections we've published over the years. Today's poem is "This Being The Case" by M. Travis Lane from the collection Poems 1968-1972.

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 "This Being The Case"
by M. Travis Lane

 One can not pray for a free thing;
that a gull land twice on the fire-struck tree —
for the different voice, the tongue of rocks,
of sea spume titans like the motes
a white gull shakes
from brightness —

that more than once only the sun-voice,
the ocean wrapped in a yellow stare,
or, out of the kiln red island,
doom constant — speak —

Free goes the gull, in many tongues ascending,
and leaves me sidewalk foolish, dumb
as yesterday, tomorrow, and next month —
a pole stuck in the ground, dry buoy —
with no such thing
as tongue.

Grab your own copy of one of M. Travis Lane's collections here, or check out the rest of our poetry collection here.