Sea and Room Poem
She pushed a hair from her face and stared out
over the bluegreen sea
In her pocket she held a letter
on heavy paper the color of cream
folded three times.
Her love stayed up through the night
drinking and laughing and singing
in a small dark hot room
that smelled of sweat and sex and paints
talking of wine and lust and philosophy
of prostitutes and professors and painters
of books and smoking and games of chance
on a desk sat a letter, under a candle
that had been burned down to a nub.