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There is a white Mercedes
Before the house, white in
An absolute sense : colour
Is absent from the fenders,
From the mirrors, from the
Empty headlights. Only in
The indicators and in the
Headlights can colour be
Found: pale orange and a
Dark, dark red. Light rain
Washes its bright surfaces.
At one side, by a forward
Wheel, a panel has been
Removed, and under it the
Metalwork is of the same
Resonant shade. Behind it,
A crepe myrtle bush, full
Of violet flower that seem
To dust the rolling surface
Of its leaves. The flowers
Irrupt the washing air. Out
Of the distance sheets of
Dull thunder ply themselves :
A crow falls slowly across
The long roof and yellow
Clapboard front of the house.