Undisturbed

I.
Ignore the shadows and the police horse as they blink
and spot and sway. Ignore the sun in April. Stand
on the corner in the cold light and be cold
and be lit and mind the traffic -- not the dirty
backwash. It'll pass. Do not pause as the helicopter
lifts up its load and hangs itself upon the hospital.
That does not concern you. Meditate instead on the dome
above you. Register its emotions: clear, cloudy, or dark. Record
your correspondences with this slate that fills and wipes
like your heart. Do not speak to strangers. Do not
remember what they say.

II.
Do not what? Do not something again deny suppose and
let it lie. Someone told me to come there look don't
move be afraid expect this and I successfully
remained aloof. I think I could remain
undisturbed if it weren't for these extreme
impositions: air and heat like breath; rain and
muscle become hair; grass and eye become pond,
and then one man said,
I can see you too.

Copyright Louise Robertson