"A Letter" [by David Shapiro]

A Letter

It's three o’clock. The Mongolians should be asleep.
Mayakovsky sleeps and Josef Brodsky
used my book as a door stop
a few minutes after I gave it to him.
The Inner and Outer Mongolia sleep.
And David sleeps with Stacey in Mongolia
and David's eyes rapid as a sparrow
or a starling in snow sees something
in the bookshelf: an old book sleeps
like bats in the rafters like bats out of mind.
I will try to find some poems in the snow
Or little lashed poets all in a row.
It is late now, later than a monkey.
I look in the mirror and am just like a gibbon.
Same voicebox, same genitalia, same pride.
Who has placed us in this zoo of worlds?
He who has a strong bell and shepherd's arrows.
Let us take as they say arrows of our enemy
And use them in our fight as if they were our own.
O photo of myself I hope to find you
the one that doesn't cause disgust in Baudelaire
the one I saw on the island of love in mistranslation
Never knowing whether we had landed or
were taking off. The island had little snow.
The loudest sound was some flirtation.
I sent you my virtual collage. You sent me Mongolia.

-- May 28 2008

Comments

[S Again]

Dear David, "Letter" and let go. I didn't realize I was holding my breath for the ten days of war in Ukraine.
Kenneth [Koch] would challenge me to a singles game of tennis out at Larry [Rivers]. We'd warm up. As soon as play began, he began cracking jokes, reciting verses of poetry, regardless of where I was on the court. I'd laugh, and he'd win.
ever S Again