Night Clerk at the Hotel of Both Worlds

Pup

24 Pup Pup puts us to sleep, with her flagrant Nap demeanor and the pink of her stomach. In our idleness it’s important to remember Those who have done things. Oh, I still appreciate the Greeks, though not Mt. Athos— Forbidden to all females, even parrots. But how long has it been Since we thanked the gallant Arabs Who preserved math, Homer, Plato, and Archimedes In the great University of Salamanca? And maybe even Mt. Athos has its advantages. For instance, now I make sure that at my house Sex appeal gets no further than the front fence. I’ve bitten off enough beds in my time, Enough windswept evenings In places like Midnight, Louisa, Flora, and Belzoni. 25 Enough of everything. Pup is sufficient, all the way to where her tail Tapers and ends. If you want her, you will need to produce The highest and lowest notes, a boatload Of shivering moonscapes, Latin’s first word, A whole Byzantium, The lost Dauphin’s heart In a handkerchief. ...