have you seen her straight from the water?
an image that flickers and falters
lo, how the years do pass
have you seen them, watching the sand in the glass?
i've seen the line of the sun on the street
and the arc that it charts in the path of a wheel
upon that wheel I have ridden by
groups of people who once were mine
and now i think i know what it is
when i'm straight from the water
as five hundred times or more
what will the scene, and who will the cast be
when i'm straight from the ocean
as any one of these times
it almost feels like i can choose
just whence to re-enter the line
lo, how the years do rush
as the rain overflows endlessly from my cup
i've seen the moment that hangs on the air
staggers into segments, descends the stair
i've returned a gaze, again and again
haunting a house i never lived in
i've returned a gaze again until
can decide where to stand