The Hawk West Desk Window 9:20am
Those long black hours
twenty years ago waiting
for My Mother to die
have been replaced
by coffee in The Morning
with My Second Husband
& a carpenter’s quote
for His Library downstairs
I am casting off My Mother’s Houses
I just opened the cupboard door under the sink
here at The Hawk
to dry My Hands on a non-existent towel there
thinking I was in The Shakespeare House
momentarily
but I’m not — that House
went in September 2011
& I am left with The Island
ready to go at the full asking price
by This Friday —
how many dish towel memories
do I have there?
There’s A Galaxy
on My Living Room Window Pane
It sits before an old sunset
tantalizing Me by Its Size:
on What Scale is It as Large
as The Galaxies in Space?
on the bacterial level
or the molecular level
or the neutron, proton, electron level?
Or smaller still?
–
Will I ever know The Difference
or is there no difference —
Is It All Relative?
The Hawk Portico 3:00pm
The Waves Today Remind Me
of Children Playing
uneven in Their Tumult
sporadic in Their Breaking
–
Yes, I have read of The Accident
but My Observations
were gathered
beforehand
The Tomato-coloured Couch 1:10pm
I felt Your Little Black Heart
wrap around Me
as I traversed the rainy Sobey’s Parking Lot
My Hair Newly Cut
You grabbed My Black Bullet-proof Vest
shouting “Live, Damn It, Live”
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:22pm
The First Room Mate I had in New York City
was a dark-headed guy with something off
in one eye
I answered His Ad in The Village Voice
“share 2bdrm apt. Lower E Side
$230 per mo
call anytime”
I called at six o’clock in the morning
He said I was the first person
to call
I arrived at nine — the appointed time
in My Interview Dress —
navy sheath with cream-trimmed pockets
& V-neck —
His name was Bennett Ram
His phone was ringing off The Hook
He didn’t seem to have anyone else lined up
He kept unplugging & re-plugging His Phone
I sat on His Couch
& met His Chaotic Friends —
one of whom pointed out a maggotty pot of beans & rice
on top of the refrigerator
The Hawk Bedroom 2:52pm
I Am That Woman
standing poised
with My Weight on My Left Foot
My Left Hand
gracing My Belly
My Right Hand
holding My Black Book
against A Secure Right Hip
Right Leg and Foot turned tentatively back
contemplating
My Preparedness
Joanna Gilman Hyde 