JUDAS AT THE NOOSE

I blame the ground for this pain.
I have chosen this tree.
There are many others.

This one
                                           the desire

                     to part from footsteps, the seduction of the y-axis.

to bury away
within the roots
this body, this air,
and whatever rope
ties it all together.

           What can

untie the event

or

                                                      break
                                                                                      out

                        possibility.

                                                      I call it plain:

let the rope sit idle, taut, and stretched

                                            let the tree remember

but my body will fall toward the deepest part of the earth, planted like a seed
grown backwards away from the light.

(Let the Greek pages say whatever they want
my body is in the air, away from whatever ground you say is yours)

TIM DUFFY is a poet and teacher working in Connecticut. He has poems in or forthcoming in Longleaf Review, Moonchild Mag, Cotton Xenomorph, The Hawai'i Review, The Cortland Review, Entropy, and Bop Dead City.