286. Adamic & Cartographic

in Branford
where rise
a tower ʘ
and a spire ʘ

a river for
its name
and a point
for its name

10 sft
5
14
•N2
•C
N•

draw between
the dots and
find no pattern

out to
Negro Heads

an *
in deep water
cleared for blue
past 20

(numbers in
the water where
it’s blue numbers
in the water
where it’s cream)

in deep into the map
into yellow earth
ake Saltonstall curves
out of the bounds of
this scrap of the earth

everything of
Branford confined
to a rectangular
imagination

synchrony
that Branford sits
unknown against
the dark blue
night and sea
on this dark
blue night

and dotted
with marshes

the Pts are
Branford Haycock
Jeffrey (that
spelling!) Indian
Neck & Johnson

deformed fingers
of reaching out

every rock in the blue water
appears as a
. or * or +

in one spot
a ✫ (FLG)

to the left
(there is no
east or west)
lies t Beach
yellow strand
beside the blue

sometimes a ♦
colored red or
black ♦ or
half of each

along the left edge
of this world rest
POLE and a trio
it seems of islands
Calf by name & (FLR)

even the rocks
have names so
as to avoid them
by name of Blyn
Taunton Five Foot
Hookers Moon &
what begins
as Gang

to the bottom of it
a line of dots beneath
Negro Heads * ♦ •N20

32 35 36 34 sft 46 39 42 sft 41

then

Branford Reef at
the farthest edge
of this rectangular
world curving
around a ✬

I am not nautical
and accept
this world as it is

blue & yellow
& cream &
dotted in red
& black &
alive with Negros
& Indians &
the men who
came here to
leave their
names upon
the land

& the paper
made to
demonstrate
that land
beyond death