A brush with death
Coat and tie
An evening of light entertainment

A cheer for health
By and by
A fortnight’s leave of bereavement

The flag laid still upon the pole
An ocean’s surface unbroken
And then a breath, and then a shiver
Like a squall, imperceptible

The flash of small birds zagging as a flock
 as if a thing of one body
Daylight clotting upon the horizon
Shadows moving over the face of the water