Other Poems

IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST (from Finishing Lines)

I recognise but no longer comprehend
the interest strangers take in the bodies
of strangers who are like themselves.

Mine was the life of the body and because
the body was strong, I was bored by doubt;
ignorant as only the robust can be.

For years I thought I saw people as they were
when all I was doing was reading
in a face the impression I made.

What did I know of a world
where you learn something new
from dizziness or a pillow dark with sweat

or just feeling not quite right
at 3 a.m. in the kitchen, gripping
a glass of water with both hands?