Thirteen ways of looking at St. Paul

Thirteen ways to look at St. Paul

I
Twenty snowy street lamps
Had only to make
the glistening shadow more impervious.

II
We could only watch
the way that ice melts
when there is salt on it.

III
She pulled the pages out of the--
Autumn winds.
And sm-iled
Pl-a-ease
Smile with her.

IV
She was spinning.
In the winter
in the spring
in the cold
all alone.

V
First.
We laughed and smiled, as a man and a woman.
Then.
We looked at the sun

VI
Did you see,
the way
ice cream,
drips into her lap?

VII
Wat-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
him.
Try to play
piano.

VIII
It is dark.
And we are driving.

IX
The wind
that blows the leaves
is blowing
through their hair.

X
The sages
realized their prophecies.
The children
licked their pop-sickles.
And we
could only sit in each others rooms,
could only sit in each others minds,
could only go to the same theater,
could only eat at the same restaurant,
and could only journey
to our final fulfillment.

XI
I
CEcold
asleep, but not
breathing, from
the functi, functi-, functions
of our lungs.
Warmth of
the rugggggggggg of the rain-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne.
spread the
ow
!
l- f -er
!
s
only to die
and
s
p
r
o
u
t
again
in a new
location.

XII
I live in a bubble
of glass and water.

XIII
Some days
we looked at the river.
Some days
we watched the traffic.
Some days
we played in buildings.
Some days
we shined a light.
Some days
we drew further into the cave.
And some days, we watched
as the life we worked so hard
to create, vanished like the
snow from the streets in spring.