Station Zed

a truth ungarbled that is so obvious

no one could possibly mistake its meaning.

If you look down the cyclops-eye of the barrel

what you'll see is a boy with trousers

rolled above his ankles.

You'll see a mouth of bone moving in syllables

that have the rapid-fire clarity

of a weapon that can fire 600 rounds a minute.

—from "Oracle"

Station Zed is the terminal outpost beyond which is the unknown. It is also the poet Tom Sleigh's finest work. In this latest col...