The Voice of the Turtle

PATCHWORK MUSIC

2006-03-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

When nothing here is certain
but that time is rolling on,
ring up your eyelids’ curtain
and greet rosy-fingered Dawn,
and ivory-footed Sarah
in her floor-length purple gown,
tapping time on polished floorboards
waiting till the sun goes down.

Let’s forget the slings and arrows,
and we’ll rosin up the bow!
Call the tune and pay the piper
so he’ll play a song we know.
Pay respect and pay attention
when you pay a living wage
to the slatterns in the kitchen
and the yokels on the stage.

If you’ll be my two-bar pickup,
I’ll play rhythm to your lead,
and we’ll truck across the ballroom
as our righteous feet take speed.
Cut a rug or cut a caper,
if you’ll just cut to the chase –
get your picture in the paper
where the footling folk embrace.

You can cross my palm with silver,
since I’m easily led to gold,
and I’ll be your major miner
till the Kingdom’s keys are sold.
Here’s a penny for your thoughts
and a dollar for your day,
but that’s what you get for thinking
when you dance the night away.

March 28, 2006

1970	Brandywine
1972	Toads Red Bus
1973	March Woodpecker The Decay-of-the-Social-Fabric-in-Tidewater-Virginia Blues Winter Landscape with Imaginary Trees
1974	The Ice Storm The Poultry Farm
1975	Conversation with the Ghost of an Old Knight Sitting on Shakespeare's Grave The Voice of the Turtle The Mantis The Keeper The Magpie Song for Eli Death in Cars The Manufacture of Turpentine
1976	The Waterfall Summer Beast Ophelia Beggars' Lice Large Child Stasis Street Zippy Whelk
1977	Ghouls The Slow and the Living Alias
1978	Cocoon Fleetmaster
1979	The Ticks of Eden The Grand Hotel Ballroom Tortucia
1980	The Snow Turtles
1981	Mecca
1986	Chelonia
1987	The Idiom of the Table Tree of Heaven The Woman I Saw
1988	Otherlight Rising Shadow
1989	An Accord of Repetitions
1990	Brute Reality Parliamentary Procedure
1993	The Definition of Space Prophecy
1994	Saints of Science
1995	The Middle Distance
1996	Innovation To Ceara, for February Changeling Entropy Sayler’s Creek Mason Dixon Cicadas Archetypes Second Childhood Context Mr. Mistletoe Metricide
1997	Reptile Dreams Costume Changes Volunteers Translucence Very Well Then, I Dissemble Halcyon Days
1998	Sideways Stories Monkey Trap
1999	Ossa Lapidum Éminence Grise Orientation Pining for Atlantis Old Roads Point of Fork Anniversary
2000	Sharing the East Queens and Drones
2001	Down Before Vontay
2002	Suzerainty The Amplitude of Time Disappearing Act Turn and Bow The Mistakes of History
2003	Vernal Rebus Remembering Shelagh
2004	Temporal Jigsaws
2005	The Love Song of Anne Hedonia Song of Determinance
2006	Goodbye to Pete Patchwork Music

The Problem of Time	An Accord of Repetitions Archetypes Beggars' Lice Brute Reality Cicadas Conversation with the Ghost of an Old Knight Sitting on Shakespeare's Grave Costume Changes The Definition of Space Disappearing Act Down Before Vontay Éminence Grise Entropy Fleetmaster Goodbye to Pete The Grand Hotel Ballroom Innovation The Keeper Large Child The Magpie The Mantis The Manufacture of Turpentine Mason Dixon Metricide The Middle Distance Monkey Trap Mr. Mistletoe Old Roads Orientation Ossa Lapidum Pining for Atlantis Point of Fork The Poultry Farm Prophecy Queens and Drones Rising Shadow Sayler’s Creek Second Childhood Sideways Stories Song of Determinance Stasis Street Summer Beast Temporal Jigsaws The Voice of the Turtle The Waterfall
Family	An Accord of Repetitions Alias Anniversary Changeling Goodbye to Pete The Love Song of Anne Hedonia Remembering Shelagh Second Childhood The Slow and the Living Song for Eli The Ticks of Eden To Ceara, for February Tree of Heaven Turn and Bow Zippy
Reptile Poems	Chelonia The Mistakes of History Reptile Dreams The Snow Turtles Tortucia The Voice of the Turtle
The Natural Landscape	The Amplitude of Time Cicadas The Definition of Space Disappearing Act Down Before Vontay Halcyon Days The Magpie The Middle Distance Parliamentary Procedure The Poultry Farm Rising Shadow Vernal Rebus The Voice of the Turtle Volunteers The Waterfall Whelk
Math and Science	Archetypes Cicadas Ghouls The Mantis Metricide Reptile Dreams Saints of Science Sideways Stories Turn and Bow
Language and Etymology	Cocoon Halcyon Days The Idiom of the Table Suzerainty Vernal Rebus Very Well Then, I Dissemble
History	The Amplitude of Time Context Mason Dixon Sayler’s Creek Sharing the East Suzerainty
Myth and Spirituality	Brandywine Brute Reality Chelonia Conversation with the Ghost of an Old Knight Sitting on Shakespeare's Grave Costume Changes Goodbye to Pete The Grand Hotel Ballroom The Manufacture of Turpentine Mr. Mistletoe Ophelia Orientation Ossa Lapidum Otherlight Point of Fork Summer Beast The Ticks of Eden To Ceara, for February Tortucia Translucence Tree of Heaven Very Well Then, I Dissemble Whelk The Woman I Saw
The Machine	Death in Cars Fleetmaster Mecca Red Bus
Yorkshire	Brandywine Red Bus
Williamsburg	The Decay-of-the-Social-Fabric-in-Tidewater-Virginia Blues The Ice Storm March Toads Winter Landscape with Imaginary Trees Woodpecker
Brotherhood	Alias Beggars' Lice Conversation with the Ghost of an Old Knight Sitting on Shakespeare's Grave Death in Cars Ghouls The Keeper Large Child The Magpie The Mantis The Manufacture of Turpentine Ophelia The Poultry Farm The Slow and the Living Song for Eli Stasis Street Summer Beast The Voice of the Turtle The Waterfall Whelk Zippy
Eden	An Accord of Repetitions Anniversary Archetypes Brute Reality Changeling Chelonia Cicadas Cocoon Context Costume Changes The Definition of Space Éminence Grise Entropy Fleetmaster The Grand Hotel Ballroom Halcyon Days The Idiom of the Table Innovation Mason Dixon Mecca Metricide The Middle Distance Monkey Trap Mr. Mistletoe Old Roads Orientation Ossa Lapidum Otherlight Parliamentary Procedure Pining for Atlantis Point of Fork Prophecy Reptile Dreams Rising Shadow Saints of Science Sayler’s Creek Second Childhood Sideways Stories The Snow Turtles The Ticks of Eden To Ceara, for February Tortucia Translucence Tree of Heaven Very Well Then, I Dissemble Volunteers The Woman I Saw
Apex	The Amplitude of Time Disappearing Act Down Before Vontay The Love Song of Anne Hedonia The Mistakes of History Patchwork Music Queens and Drones Remembering Shelagh Sharing the East Song of Determinance Suzerainty Temporal Jigsaws Turn and Bow Vernal Rebus
Sonnets	Costume Changes The Keeper The Love Song of Anne Hedonia Metricide Remembering Shelagh Saints of Science Suzerainty
Light Verse	Anniversary Cocoon The Decay-of-the-Social-Fabric-in-Tidewater-Virginia Blues Éminence Grise The Love Song of Anne Hedonia Monkey Trap Parliamentary Procedure Patchwork Music Sharing the East The Snow Turtles Volunteers
Juvenilia	Brandywine The Decay-of-the-Social-Fabric-in-Tidewater-Virginia Blues The Ice Storm March Red Bus Toads Winter Landscape with Imaginary Trees Woodpecker

The Voice of the Turtle

PATCHWORK MUSIC

GOODBYE TO PETE

SONG OF DETERMINANCE

THE LOVE SONG OF ANNE HEDONIA

TEMPORAL JIGSAWS

REMEMBERING SHELAGH

VERNAL REBUS

THE MISTAKES OF HISTORY

TURN AND BOW

DISAPPEARING ACT

THE AMPLITUDE OF TIME

SUZERAINTY

DOWN BEFORE VONTAY

QUEENS AND DRONES

SHARING THE EAST

ANNIVERSARY

POINT OF FORK

OLD ROADS

PINING FOR ATLANTIS

ORIENTATION

ÉMINENCE GRISE

OSSA LAPIDUM

MONKEY TRAP

SIDEWAYS STORIES

HALCYON DAYS

VERY WELL THEN, I DISSEMBLE

TRANSLUCENCE

VOLUNTEERS

COSTUME CHANGES

REPTILE DREAMS

METRICIDE

MR. MISTLETOE

CONTEXT

SECOND CHILDHOOD

ARCHETYPES

CICADAS

MASON DIXON

SAYLER’S CREEK

ENTROPY

CHANGELING

TO CEARA, FOR FEBRUARY

INNOVATION

THE MIDDLE DISTANCE

SAINTS OF SCIENCE

PROPHECY

THE DEFINITION OF SPACE

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

BRUTE REALITY

AN ACCORD OF REPETITIONS

RISING SHADOW

OTHERLIGHT

THE WOMAN I SAW

TREE OF HEAVEN

THE IDIOM OF THE TABLE

CHELONIA

MECCA

THE SNOW TURTLES

TORTUCIA

THE GRAND HOTEL BALLROOM

THE TICKS OF EDEN

COCOON

FLEETMASTER

ALIAS

THE SLOW AND THE LIVING

GHOULS

WHELK

ZIPPY

STASIS STREET

LARGE CHILD

BEGGARS’ LICE

OPHELIA

SUMMER BEAST

THE WATERFALL

THE MANUFACTURE OF TURPENTINE

DEATH IN CARS

SONG FOR ELI

THE MAGPIE

THE KEEPER

THE MANTIS