I sit in a plaza with a friend who
is wearing a black felt bowler hat
my wool cape clasped with a wrought
metal brooch that could kill a man
the table nods on the dirt floor
the earth has never been perfectly
round not even within and
though I am young in that village
I know I have to say goodbye
to my friend to this moment
at the table oh and to the volcano
its terrible beauty fastened inside
Mary Buchinger
Mary Buchinger is the author of four collections of poetry, including e i n f ü h l u n g/in feeling, Aerialist, and Navigating the Reach (forthcoming). She is president of the New England Poetry Club and professor of English and communication studies at MCPHS University in Boston. www.marybuchinger.com
