Does she feel safe there, between her dad's
big knees She stands upright or half sits,
red dress always the same, white underpants

XXXIV

We are falling through the abyss      Voices, of terror,
come to me I try to answer but sense

Driving by it now—walking in Brownsville
is no longer safe—536 remains
the only semi-private house on the block.

In this country we manufacture cages
We construct them just as you wish
made-to-order, a cage for each occasion

I. After the Fall

Standing in the midst of my illness
alone. Psychiatrist gone. The work