ON THE WALLS
Rhina Espaillat
From the first look I knew he was no good.
That perfumes hair, those teeth, those smiling lips
All said, 'Come home with me.' I knew I would.
Lover? Who can say? Daylight withdrew in strips
Along those vaulted archways waiting where
The slaves would hear us whisper on the stair.
Not smart, not interesting, no, not the best
At anything, all talk and fingertips.
The best I left behind; there in those ships
Nosing your harbor.You can guess the rest.
The heart does what it does, and done is done.
Regret? What for? The future finds its Troys
In every Sparta, and your fate was spun
Not by old crones, but pretty girls and boys