Autumn

Both lying on our sides, making love in

spoon position when she’s startled, What’s that?

She means the enormous ship passing before you—

maybe not that large, is it a freighter

or a passenger ship? But it seems huge in the dark

and it’s so close. That’s a poem you say, D. H.

Lawrence—Have you built your ship of death,

have you? O build your ship of death,

for you will need it. Right here it would be good

if there were a small orchestra on board, you’d hear

them and say to her, That piece is called Autumn,

that’s what the brave musicians played as the Titanic

went under—and then you could name this poem “Autumn.”

But no, the ship is silent, its white lights glow in the darkness.

Source: The Persistence of Objects (BOA Editions Ltd., 2006)