I See Ice

After driving on the right and left sides of roads,
celebrating with Armenia,
walking through the choked streets of Beijing,

and swimming with baby seals;
I see him
quite suddenly


a white man, his blue eyes
peering out
from behind the curtains of another time
amidst blue water and ice floes
and hood and goggles
and a black camera contraption
dancing on the surface
like a dangerous sea spider

the white ice glistens
the frigid water climbs
up to my neck too

our eyes meet briefly
profoundly
I am transported
and reality is irrelevant

or else

He exists in time and place
for an eerie instant
of tranquillized time

looking only at me
as I look only at he

The creature revives
the window closes
and reality is real

Faded,
he becomes

a flat photograph
on
an unremarkable page
in
a mere magazine
in
my dry hands
on
unfrozen land

once again.

April 02 2008