Goodnight, sweet women I have loved
Goodnitoo little or too late
Bright hair, bright fingernail and bone
Bright hair, briGoodnight, goodnight
On shores of darkness, one by one
the house-lights flicker
as you lay your heads on ice or cloud
as yToo near or far
I think of you aGoodnight, goodnight
I think of you asleep in far-off cities
with your downy covers drawn up close
a gathering of smells and tastes I’ve lost
Goodnight, sweet losses
There isAs the wolves bay shadows on the distant steppes
There isas bears eat snow
There isas black hawks circle for a place to land
There ishow far away you seem
your tendrilous pale fingers
kisses, kindnesses
the ill-timed jokes or passing jibes
Forgive me I forgive
There isour tastelessness and ignorance and fear
There isour reckless humor, raucous cries
Let each of us, when night falls once for last
rise up and float together, me and you
sucked easily as fly-ash up the flue