My friend is following me
He is picking up the pieces
Just in case they lead
To a conclusion laughs
The moment
The story enters
The boredom
Comes upon you
My friend is not
Alone in this activity
I’ve simply picked him out
For special attention
Shined a spotlight on him
He’s certainly not someone
I could hold a conversation with
About anything more
Than cleaning products
Is he clean? Undoubtedly
I’m often asked by people
How I put up with
The constant fussing
It’s not constant
For one thing and
I’m flattered
It’s nice to have someone
To pick up after you
He watches me keenly
Like a Judas-character
And when I stumble
There he is.
Will I do
As I promised
After a serious bout
Of his interest
Like an infection
And leave him
Everything? One
Doesn’t know
The yard is empty today
The square, there’s
Absolutely nobody
To talk to. I’d always hoped
To make a great number
Of figures without a
Narrative
I suppose
This is it,
A stockyard.
I haven’t been able
To get outside it,
I don’t know who today has.
(It would be terribly nice
To have someone
To talk to.)
He watches me stumble
Again and then again
On the way
To my conclusion
Standing
With the other figures
Wearing his red armband
Like a character in a play
Who has dressed up as a Nazi
The stupid thing is
It would take a moment to cross
To him and tell him I know
With a kiss: I want dreadfully to do so
But it seems I have to go on stumbling
Like this for ever (I yearn for someone
To tell me where I go wrong!) Swastika
Armband notwithstanding and also that
A Nazi-character will shoot a stumbler
He makes the offer with his eyes
He smiles at me, no: his mouth is open
As if he’s giving an order
I hurry on like a painted coquette
Tottering flirtatiously
What a tease!
While secretly desiring him
Who conscientiously
Forbears to do so
To find my friend
My brother
That strength
To beat me down
Beyond the point
That I should feel
And to pick up
Whatever is left
After feeling.
Because that way it’s easier
That way they can say of me
When I reach my end
He didn’t give a damn,
Did he? And throw my body
In the gutter.
