Barbara Blatner

RED

red is ontological density
red begins profaning colors
red stays a parishioner of Chinese lakes
red siphons the mouth of my lover
red comes from a combination of red and red
out of red bleeds black, out of black bleeds yellow
red is the psychiatrist of night
red debuts as a petticoat
red vital to the adornment of primitive forces
red appears first on the tray of the gods
red is passionate dying
red turns to ruby in a gism of light
red puppeteers the fall sun
red shines in Morocco from a dead trout's eye
red is the math of torrential rain
red breaks into the rules
red blood initiates snow
red hawks memories of 1945 on the corner
red turns the key in the white door
red bobs across the street, a little wool hat
red rehearses many times before forgetting
red breaks into the rules
red, carnivorous vision, licks the sky

"Strong in delivery, rich in message..."

"Key nouns ... show her breaking up order and discovering elemental motion."

On list of "Z's" 100 best poetry publications for 1986.