Evening News II

The face looking into the room; Behind it light, shaking, like heat Lightning; the face calm and knowing; Seeing, but not seeing who I am; The mouth may be telling something. Something about our helplessness; Something about the confusions of beasts; The consequence of error; systems Haywire, or working; the stars gone All wrong in the body’s courses. Out on the plain of Mars, brilliantly Played under the lights, searched out Beyond any answer, the game went on Far into the night; the bloodiest came Home from the battle seeking the prize. The women were disgraced; hair streaming, Pleading into the staring: buy, buy—; Was it my daughter I was seeing?— The humiliation was pleasing: tears, Laughter, smiles, all mingled together. The light swallowed itself, a balloon Deflating; somewhere in the darkness A murmuring let itself go.