HONEST CONFRONTATION

All night long they talked, raged, wrangled,

strove with passion and sincerity to find a compromise

or some separation; humbled and were humbled; regretted

the time lost—the fools; at last they cast off their clothes

and stood there, beautiful, naked, humiliated, defenseless. Dawn was breaking.

From the roof opposite, a flock of birds took wing

as though some gambler had finally cast into the air a marked pack of cards.

Thus, without arguments, justifications, or assurances,

day ascended from the hills with the cruel pride of action.