A WOMAN SAVED FROM DROWNING
after Guillermo Cabrera Infante
noise of rain,
an electric lamp
lights a single window
above the devastated city. dressed in white,
on the edge of the bed, she’d waited months to open the notebook
she found in a cafe. “when do you think
the rain will stop?”
(but wanted to ask what
are you thinking? wanted to ask how long will it last?
wanted to ask something else)
in the grey room,
outlined objects
lose color one by one and change
places as you wait, the streetlight
filtered through the curtains forms
a square, glowing radioactive (could it be a wet dream
that makes me mix up the days of the week?)
“we need to go” was the last thing
she said, holding her raincoat
and a lifeboat.