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Pietro Aman

Faces in the City Garden

         And among these,

three Chinese boys in a sort

of brotherhood, one boxing one,

and the other with his hands

on their shoulders;

three smiling boys.

         And (furthermore)

among these, Li,

whose bulk of personality

is in that he is best-looking

of the three, some years later

will find in this same park

a girl in red

bending over a black dog

and lose the distinct joy of being

         hit by fellow men.

from "CONTEMPORARIES"

II. An Agreement

Merwin, old man, consider me disinterested

in your selected verse, new verse, or any.

This is not out of disrespect, or a green eye.

I understand enough of this vanishing world,

know your refined methods, associations.

And you, I assume, have seen the wolves,

grey as city winter, and have seen the young

dispatch the old. These ravines are deep,

but they are not too spacious anymore.

Like you, I will die someday, the child

I have hated going indoors to his father,

or my wife will die before me, no longer

being moved by a passage in Hemingway.

Oh, I would miss the excellent bones

of her face. I would walk through

             American cities

until I am old, and then I would walk

through European cities; lonesome old man.

I would compile a selected verse.

I would recall your dead soil, all my prayers

             said, and still disinterested.

[Index]

Thunder Sandwich #26 - Summer/Fall 2005