My mind went on composing its account at night,
I could hear it tracing glyphs on the hard substance

Outside the funeral of the politician who died young
I waited for you. Rolled in my hand like a baton

were tissues from the mourners inside

Thorn teeth gnaw white bread and ketchup.
Instant audition on my haunches; her sack cheeks
turning away. Hands tacky on the cup.

Strangers come to caretake and her tongue
lies large and quiet in its crook.
Across the street black tin wardrobes and twin

Shall I come to see
plum blossoms in every stream
and wet my sleeves

All love is merely fear of apprehension.
You love the antic magician but fear his wand.
You ate an apple contrary to instruction.

A baby’s head is fragile, 
                       pale as an egg and thin. 
Hit the brakes 

In 1981 
          in a hotel gift shop outside Phoenix, AZ, 
a little girl stood by the postcard rack, turning it gently. 

How much the colonel loved his granddaughters
you will never know.
                           Their laughter filled his black Mercedes

The dogs tipped the garbage and the meat spilled out
the larger dog sniffed it
the smaller stood to the side and growled

the meat quivered on the floor
I’d kept it too long it was
slick and fat it had expired

all this while I stood in line
and then the ballot machine glowed greenly
yes yes yes I told it

while the large dog licked the meat
lifted it gingerly with its mouth
dropped it wetly to the floor