She was doing her hair before going to bed
and in front of the mirror it lasted an infinitely long time
between one bending of the arm at the elbow and another
epochs passed from her hair soldiers of the second legion
said to be Augustus Antoninian’s spilled soundlessly
Roland’s brothers-in-arms artillery gunmen from Verdun
with resilient fingers
she secured the halo on the top of her head
it took so long
that when she
finally began her swaying
march towards me
my heart till now so docile
stood still
and on my skin I felt
coarse grains of salt

From: Inscription (1969)