[In my dream the old woman had a ribbon for the boy]
Abram Kaplan
In my dream the old woman had a ribbon for the boy
and the ribbon had a message. What to make
of this. That the woman I dreamed of had a penis
on her knee she could find no one to hold.
That the man who is central plays guitar
and all he wants is to be loved.
I seemed to be that man whose death is his security,
whose stony head will model stony crown.
Who turns away predators with assiduity
dips his head to swallow wide
reflections in the body.
The brain’s a map that’s flat.
Don’t expect to feel the incision.
Nerves don’t end there.