what thoughts i have of you tonight walt whitman for i walked down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self conscious looking at the full moon in my hungry fatigue and shopping for images i went into the neon fruit supermarket dreaming of your enumerations what peaches and what penumbras whole families shopping at night aisles full of husbands wives in the avocados babies in the tomatoes and you garca lorca what were you doing down by the watermelons i saw you walt whitman childless lonely old grubber poking among the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys i heard you asking questions of each who killed the pork chops what price bananas are you my angel i wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans following you and followed in my imagination by the store detective we strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes possessing every frozen delicacy and never passing the cashier where are we going walt whitman the doors close in a hour which way does your beard point tonight will we walk all night through solitary streets the trees add shade to shade lights out in the houses we ll both be lonely will we stroll dreaming of the lost america of love past blue automobiles in driveways home to our silent cottage ah dear father graybeard lonely old courage teacher what america did you have when charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of lethe berkeley 19558