As He Lay Poem by J.L. Nash

There’s a shepherd’s crook of gnarled and knotty wood
From his ankle bending in at the waist and fitting against the elbow point
That’s the shape around him

A child’s bird in flight, beak pushing against his thigh
Wings spreading out to heel and around drawn up foot
That’s the shape around him

One isosceles triangle to the left and equilateral triangle to the right
Enclosed in biceps and triceps and ribcage
That’s the shape around him

The slope of a horse’s rump with gentle contour to the withers
Lying on the carpet, a thigh bone to knee
That’s the shape around him

The outside of a pyramid, Mayan in scope and landscape
His feet are bigger than hers when together sole to soul
That’s the shape around him

The inverse of choppy waves at Marlay Point
In high winds where even the seagulls cling to the rocks
That’s the shape around him

The night sky around a domed temple
Spring from veined temples and over his nose
That’s the shape around him

Discarded cape long after the party ended
On the floor cradles his head and shoulders
That’s the shape around him

A chalice is held grail-like between
Upturned outturned calves and feet
That’s the shape around him