All the while, this hysterical light.
A courtyard fountain: the picture

of tranquility. And then
its progeny of reflected sunbeams.

The way they move and flash
they make the whole house uneasy.

The sliced cheese lies motionless
on its plate. The puppies, entering

the room, whimper and turn tail.
The puppies! Even

the pillows crowd to the corners of the sofa.
The mind stills, balks. On the shelf

the books close more tightly
around their sentences.

And the light goes on
with all its vigor, its oil

and vinegar,
sloshing and shimmying, de-

meaning the room.