Michael Robins

A Bull In China

1

Gone by, as then
when toy things tower
only to topple

Only
measuring the days
insofar as you come,

Francisco Avenue

We’re not pleased
until some stretcher
accounts the body

Bare seats & aisles
ending & some light

2

Once, I sat all alone
in an empty room
until—

Surrounded
by the surge & tide,
homes of wet sand

The worst accidents
leave shoes behind

Their path, their wake
the horizon floating
no rescue…

& later
an exhibit under glass

3

I fill shirts & unfill
like a hammock—

Each wave hinging
improvement

a dimple of thought

Ideas
I guess, like threading
needles then feverish
assembly, in & out

Out & in & out again

& your pilfered cap
now some rival team

---

Michael Robins is the author of three collections of poetry, most recently In Memory of Brilliance & Value (Saturnalia Books, 2015). He teaches literature and creative writing at Columbia College Chicago. For more information, visit www.michaelrobins.org.