red up and down

red hair

real

she whirled it

and she asked

"is my ass still on?"

such comedy.

there is always on woman

to save you from another

and as that woman saves you

she makes ready to

destroy.

"sometimes I hate you,"

she said.

she walked out and sat on

my porch and read my copy

of Catullus, she stayed out

there for an hour.

people walked up and down

past my place

wondering where such an ugly

old man could get

such beauty.

I didn't know either.

when she walked in I grabbed

her and pulled her to my lap.

I lifted my glass and told

her, "drink this."

"oh, she said, "you've mixed

wine with Jim Beam, you're gonna

get nasty."

"you henna your hair, don't

you?"

"you don look, she said and

stood up and pulled down

her slacks and panties and

the hair down there was the

same as the hair

up there.

Catullus himself couldn't have wished

for more historic or

wondrous grace;

then he went

goofy

for tender boys

not mad enough

to become

women.