In the stunned heat of
a day in July
A woman is leaning from
the fifth-floor window
vodka at elbow
she watches the evening
rob the yellow from this day
she checked in 2 days ago
her breathing has changed
from panicky
to shallow, to normal
across the highway a heron
standing on one leg
is lost in thought
letting the world go by
as it must
she carries the vodka to bed
lifts the glass and drinks
listening to the electric buzz of insects
tires humming over concrete
planes moving through time zones
it is the time to kill time
lying back on the bed
she lights a cigarette
the stillness of a hotel painting
looks placidly her way
sensing the evening shadows
lengthening across the room.
