Littleblood

O littleblood, hiding from the mountains in the mountains Wounded by stars and leaking shadow Eating the medical earth. O littleblood, little boneless little skinless Ploughing with a linnet's carcase Reaping the wind and threshing the stones. O littleblood, drumming in a cow's skull Dancing with a gnat's feet With an elephant's nose with a crocodile's tail. Grown so wise grown so terrible Sucking death's mouldy tits. Sit on my finger, sing in my ear, O littleblood.

death ode dreamlike

Littleblood - meaning Summary

Intimacy with Primal Survival

The poem addresses “littleblood,” a strange, suffering creature imagined as both tiny and immense. Its body shifts through animal and landscape imagery, making it seem vulnerable, grotesque, and ancient at once. The speaker sees it surviving on pain, decay, and the harsh natural world, yet ends by inviting it close. The poem suggests an uneasy intimacy with the primitive forces of life and death.

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