the 21st century

el pueblo aparece de nuevo
al otro lado de la montaña

al pueblo se le llega
por una carretera en el cielo
que da vueltas pasando
entre lomas interminables

y al llegar, al fin
se tiene que andar por
cómo se dice? horse-drawn carriage

drawn and drawn pulling
pulling and pulling in in
as if to say pressed
a long time

riéndome
más que nada porque

ya ves--
te has enojado

someone reaches
up and tilts the lamp down
the small dogs
like two unlike twins
walk ahead of us in the dark

look at them i say
and you don’t

i don’t care i say
but you do

the lamp rotates,
a large red clip attaches it
to the edge of anything

in the summer, with francis
i eat small flowers in the open air
and don’t think
at all
of you

in the spring in particular
i think of you zero times
good

then above the train
in small spaces
there is an eruption of red
\doors half open

i get my coffee and go
read the ad about aligners
the squirrel comes to me
on the blanket with my little violets

i watch nobody’s shadow
dissolve around the corner of east 84th
wind throws empty cups at my feet.
so