in the mellow
afternoon
where you sit
the day alone
fumbling with your papers
with your keys
images replay
every time you close
your eyes
she waits you know
in dreams
whene’er you sleep
just beyond
the memory
of just beyond the trees
music plays
how much louder must
it be
to obscure the loss
erase the cost
how much
before you answer
the silence
of your need

. . .