This careful reflection’s dying for plaid, a means

Of determining what’s above & beneath the surface

Your body and its tub every familiar to the fingers

But, like a ferris wheel, somewhat unexpected

The wind’s so strong it embeds granules of sand

In my every-other me, evens, spaces left vacant

With your departure

&, careless, left undescribed rather than open

To be jumped

Strategy’s every wheel aligned in wrought

Diagonals, sections of triangles, sea squared

& rip. Might overtake you from the toes up

Until even your hair is salty

Bruce Covey (GA)  is Lecturer of Creative Writing at Emory University and the author of The Greek Gods as Telephone Wires, Elapsing Speedway Organism, and Ten Pins, Ten Frames. His recent poems also appear or are forthcoming in Verse, LIT, Columbia Poetry Review, No Tell Motel, and others. He edits the web-based poetry magazine Coconut and curates the What's New in Poetry reading series in Atlanta.