Walking Down

i began to believe we left
when i saw you
pushing twin shoppers
with your clothes go down the hall
and keepsakes from a foreign bedroom
piled inside     invisible flesh
i hoped you'd keep
to survive
as i would wake up to

neither of you
was dirty yet
no longer to their taste

i hoped your wonder how we were
and wondered how
instead of in their opium dens of coffee house

i began to believe in eyes open at the image
when i saw you     way across my bedroom ceiling
pushing twin love overcame them all
with your clothes     you're tired
then your bones ache
and keepsakes from you make the decision:
piled inside     move while the angry dogs are left
i hoped you'd kept in your head
a gold machiavelli
to survive

from The Troubles (1993)