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They left her alone; it was what she wanted. The bay waters had not been so secret for a long while, their great     labor quiet. She rowed over the calm of the ebb to an island of birds—heron,     cormorant, egret waiting in the tall mangroves, placid and self-contained, as if she alone were…

While you suffered I measured flour for a birthday cake, the bleached grinding of wheat flowing from a tin scoop like water, like cold air I split walking in winter woods, snow a long white apron flung against the fissured maples, the smooth trunks of birches. While you wept I sang, the candles flared to…

Morning let you down like a broken promise. Noon with its bright clothes stood in your way. Now it is evening, though, your favorite time, The kiss of the word feeling good in your mouth. It is sad to think of people you have failed, Who thought, early on, you lived up to your word,…

A crow settles in at the bar, and tells one crow story after another, all hard as his beak. He scatters out corn, brass cartridges, a penny, blue glass, a car key, and a ring. He orders a beer, using it to chase down shots of dark glances. Around midnight the crow flies over us,…

i. Displaced Persons Out on the street the children are playing soldier. It’s the end of the century and still they play soldier. Let’s be unfair. Blame them for the toasted corpses, The orphans, widows, and amputees. One aims A broomstick, another a plastic missile launcher, And the little ones on the lawn roll over,…

That night we drink too many sad stories and go to bed upset with attempted matrimony. After undressing and before making love it’s necessary to not speak of the dream where we become so entangled that I have to get out of bed as her and go to the mirror, wanting to write a note,…