knock twice

Séance

I’m not surprised to hear

About your tryst with Hedy Lamarr

Trap shooting with General Omar Bradley

The over and under

With the hand tooled stock a gift

From Eddy Arnold or Louis Lamour

Or possibly Tennessee Ernie Ford

It’s hard to be certain

With Miss Ludmilla

The heavy accent, the constant hum

Of her dehumidifier

Thanks but no thanks

Let’s let the Mysteries of the Universe

Remain just that

Shall we?

Though I know you’re dying

To dish

Thank you for not levitating 
The table or blowing out the candles

Parlor tricks beneath you besides

There’s that bad back of yours

Let’s let the sleeping dogs

Of the post war years lie

Impressionistic aluminum plant

Clumsy lines of a surveyor’s transit and theodolite

Mere art

For art’s sake

No need to draw me a picture

I’ve dropped by unannounced

A couple of times

Just passing through

As they say

A lie made inconvenient by ocean

On three sides

My heart pining for the Midwest

You left, never once

As they say

Looking back

Perhaps it’s coincidence

But you never seem to be at home

A gasp from Miss L

Eyes rolled back

The cowl of her chins

Relaxing at the crossroads

Of her pilled shawl

Tells me my time is up

My question carried away long ago

On the cresting Big Muddy

Where once we stood waist deep

Until you took the plunge

Your answer perhaps snagged 
Downstream or bitten back, enough

To choke a horse.