The Paris Review

Theory vs. Practice

Our ménage à trois by candlelight—;
the various absurdities: black lace,
pink mules, a little-bo-peep teddy.

Afterward, bad Champagne
in the kitchen of the pied-à-terre.
The mind is an unforgettable red space.

But I, I can’t escape this place;—
the steep of ridged limbs,
the mountainous dark pining;

and love, the flickering hood of flame.