exiting the building not emergence
telling the always-doorman, bellhop,
afternoon plans giving faulty directions
                         rope tug of two dogs in one muddy yard

stepped out to the taxi stand
off dance floor, found small-waisted short-haired women
hailing, took issue, stalked away—

then, took in the cabby’s horseshoes for luck
took a glance but ran across the street
met cement mud, entered dive

we are never unrelated, you remember
pass of potted plant’s water over reservoir, fill cup,
mineral solutions in lieu of soil

transport across state lines from a near state,
then moving belongings from that state
to another farther-away state.