Envy

A shadow runs across the grass like a cat

yes, the grass is like a cat a black cat grass black

the train shudders all day and all night thick-

corded rope whistles through my hand burns

in a language only the sky can translate

sweat gossips in bed on my upper lip

the shed of my chin i want him to look at me

like he looks at those pink folds egon brother

A cat runs across the grass like a shadow

a weed grows out of a crack in the world

red and green i make it my mother's patterns

appear to instruct without anyone's notice

least of all the nun's she's playing at charades

now washing dishes next folding dough

the skull's too scattered for the mice to pick

up a snake a wanton lick of formaldehyde

A cat runs like a shadow across the grass

rotten eggs in the refrigerator i don't know

why i fail at everything i mistook my

shadow for a person walking toward me

(plan your escape now) there's a tree

in my living room i'm undressing it

with my eyes your slug slimes

the cement square in the mirror my husband says

A shadow runs like a cat across the grass

the truth never changes i don't know whether

to believe or to run under a tree and across grass

grass black in the night looking furry

fury where time divides

it's so far it's good in a different handwriting

then a hole opened and spiders poured out

like other kinds of shadows my husband

crawled in & i forgot where i put myself