Query

John I said how do we
get this over on them?
They will become wise,
their eyes will blaze
and there will be precious little
we can say in our defense.

You might say it's the slant
of light from the point
where three corners of a room
meet, or the slight
rustle of a curtain with the shoes
showing underneath,

but that won't satisfy
the least of them, who prattle
on about what matters, who
gainsay our frivolous hi-jinks
and vaunt thair square chins
like a bunch of Ivanhoes.

I felt as if the water under
the boat had breathed
like a fantastic lung,
so I hunkered down
and shivered like some Judas
under the stars' fingers.

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