JANE GARDNER

The blue position

The sky comes to evening reliably, to the blue hour
when one star alone flares on velvet,
decor straight from Dante via Borges:
dolce color d’oriental zaffiro...
The West dreaming of the East; a process now debunked.
It’s cloudy — or we, asleep, are dreaming of holidays, money;
we’re cooking or watching television.
On UKTV, there’s a comedy we’ve come to like.
Jean (Judi Dench) is optimistic but Lionel,
‘Lie’, as Alistair calls him, is regretful, always.
It ends with that song from the era further back,
their youth, sung without malt or smoke
by someone. The words don’t mean much —
‘fundamental things apply’ — indeed!
Another voice would tear your heart out.

___________
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