ON THE WALLSÝ by Rhina Espaillat

 

From the first look I knew he was no good.

That perfumes hair, those teeth, those smiling lips

All said, ìCome home with me.îÝ I knew I would.

Lover?Ý Who can say?Ý Daylight withdrew in strips

Along those vaulted archways waiting where

The slaves would hear us whisper on the stair.

Not smart, not interestingóno, not the best

At anything, all talk and fingertips.

The best I left behind; theyíre in those ships

Nosing your harbor.Ý You can guess the rest.

The heart does what it does, and done is done.

Regret?Ý What for?Ý The future finds its Troys

In every Sparta, and your fate was spun

Not by old crones, but pretty girls and boys.

From Gods and Mortals, ed. Nina Kossman

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