...

[[...of an exiting Neruda ]]
.

.......a niche in the pavement,
...black hat head-spun southward
.................onlooker

in glassy trill, the din of clock &
......springtime sprig snap
or that of an existing wound--
......intimate passerby:

.......a shadow musician
accustomed to striking bow
along alley corridors


with hands & heart you
.........greet him
..expecting a great
......performance;
.......a spectacle

.........you’ve only once
.......encountered

from a bird, dusky nightingale,
.......who sung mournfully
.....through the salty spray
....................of the sea.