She set aside her aureole,
Disgorged herself from the heady scent
Of crumpled sleep
& latin tango,
Lit her essence
& breathed in deeply
& true,
Catching all at once autumn
& sweat
& laundry on lines,
Watched reflected leaves as they leapt
Through her window and clambered
Up the stucco walls,
Heard as if from someplace else
The comfort drone of a tiny plane
As it settled in among the clouds
& touched with her the cleft of warmth
That love had left beside her.