I am always falling in love when I have work to do.
But there are other distractions, if you don’t pull through:
roll of red ribbon, green candle on a crystal stand,
orange cup of unground salt, violets with furry leaves.
Map of the north cape with tunnel directions.
And there are finer pairs than you and I would make:
pale tablecloth with pink flowers,
pale sky with pink sky at mountain height,
brown teacup and saucer, golden honey jar
and golden space between one mountain and another.
A golden green night field. No finer solitude.
Here lies the field with the sun on its forehead;
there goes the man with the sun in his mouth.
This poem ran in the March 3, 2011, issue of the magazine.
For more TNR, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.