218

        As we were headed south,
        The sun as it set illumined
The opposite interior panel of
The imitation ebony laminate
That lined the carriage walls.

We came through a grove of
Willow trees that cascaded
Into a small pool, and their
Branches broke the light into
Fragments that swung wildly
Across the walls from north
To south. I remembered that
In my early childhood I had
Slept in the light of a magic
Lantern, which projected over
The walls of my bedroom a
        Parade of phantasms that
Rode silently through the dust.
Then I felt that I was calm.

In the aura of light that hung
Over the water, insects gathered,
Their bodies becoming aspects
Of its fulness, like particles of a
Fiery matter held in solution.