1.
“Before the Bar”
Too tired to freshen up
in time to make the dinner
engagement, all this
continental talent rests
in its rooms.
It’s a long haul for all
and the one most concerned,
not yet the doctor, practices yoga.
It holds her together while
the rest are at rest.
Ponta Delgada, São Miguel
29/30 Sept. 1987
2.
“At the Bar”
That time, in Lisbon, in the company of your husband,
you insisted on paying for my coffee. Mind you, you
didn’t ask your husband to pay for it, as someone else
might have, in deference to the norms and expectations
of ordinary married beings, comfortable or not. I was
puzzled then and don’t understand it now. It took a bit
of courage to assert yourself so, perhaps as much as it
might do now-but I only surmise. Decisive decision,
moment to take the charge, it hangs there, still, opaque.
Windham, CT
22 Mar. 2011
3.
“Aria”
She recognizes her past and tries to speak but can not
string a word together, let alone a sentence. The eyes
are bright but no brighter than her smile. Here is her
past in the present, in the flesh, and she recognizes it all.
Too much frustration, though, and then mercy comes her
way when a friend whisks her off to join the chamarita
that is circling in the open space before us. How happy
she is, letting her body do what her voice refuses her.
There she goes, round and round, happy at making it
work for her. Dance, ballerina, dance, dance it away!
Windham, CT
14 Mar. 2013
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Nota: Legenda Foto.
Bar da esplanada da Praia do Pópulo,verão 2008.(LPN)
