After a week of sleeplessness
he dozed off at last
in the hammock and was
awakened by the sound of dead leaves
dancing. The next day
the collie bitch gave birth
to a sickly litter,
and he flung them one by one
against the stone wall,
always weeping. The dog
came round whining, her teats
thick with milk, and he said,
yes, yes, that is how I feel.