In Third Person
a haze a heron in a tide-pool
and for a long time out of time
two children push a giant yellow globe
coyotes come and every June the same
the unrequited loneliness the same
out-of-tune expressions herons dance
the same blue wings
it all made sense
the way he asked me for the Book of Job
to make some pattern make some rhyme
out of his life before he died
the way he scrutinized his patterned robe
when he did die it's simply that he sensed
there was no more to do no other dance
to be composed no present tense
by Maria Gapotchenko
from Clarion 15, 2012