
Windows
Cheryl Ward has a lovely voice,
Delicate and precise.
Cheryl Ward speaks softly,
About the adaptations of horses.
Cheryl Ward looks like
Alice.
Alice fancies older men,
Who break her heart again,
And again.
Another
Alice sits in the crowd,
And smiles when the speaker looks her way.
She wears a scarf that blends into her
Hair.
The Alices have no accents, not
Like Cheryl Ward.
Cheryl Ward has an accent, the same
As Jeff’s.
Jeff breaks all the rules,
He doesn’t think they are important.
Jeff calls you foolish
With his superior, twitching,
Librarian nose.
The second Alice has a lovely nose,
Though it is often red
In the mornings, when she talks
About the genetics of cows.
The first Alice doesn’t care for cows, or for horses,
She much prefers her office.
Her office has windows that overlook the city
And a photo of an older man, about to
Break her heart,
Sitting by the telephone.
In Cheryl Ward’s office, a picture of Jeff sits
Between the computer monitor and a tray paper clips.
Cheryl Ward’s office is underground.
Cheryl Ward has no windows.