for Nina
The rooks fly in and then fly out again;
this cast-iron cross, though, has to stand on guard,
presenting to this sombre plot of ground
the wan light of its passport photograph.
Each little sigh becomes a little sin.
The night’s the same for all when it sets in.
A great big starry paw stroking the earth
of this graveyard, an earth that has no breath.
23-24 March 2002, Oxford, Ohio