Aardvark's Tale

like clouds out of a seamless sky she floats
in her peasant dress a full foot over subway tiles
aarvark and ant both raise heads to listen
trade eyes the ant eyes don't fit but aardvark
sees colors a train goes by into darkness
he thinks ice cream     she digs his shades
and she gets off at the next station
                                    past night
the day is down to holes in the sky / stars
and the spurs of latter-day businessmen hang blind in a corner
the train bounces     streetlights try
to mock the slack in light and cars
pass by     lit small

this light is constricted
he grabs time back
he can still see her heels     even though he's
regained his eyes he retains the vision
let's say laughing sam's dice again
motivating inside his eyeballs
and she passes by before him again
and he walks along beside her agreeing
to get off together at the next station
past streetlights     and blindness
he looks down
             to see
his shadow under a streetlight
watching both of them

from Thebes (1991)