TWO VIEWS FROM A BALCONY
(1)
A Thornton Burgess old lady, toad in a shawl,
She leans forward to peel the cactus pears:
Three quick cuts and canvas flaps unfold
From the beet-red fruit, tasteless and seedy.
Church bells clang the quarter hour. Iron
Shoes clink on cobblestones. Unhurried
By smacking stick or placid curse, burros
Shoulder sacks of mesquite from the hills.
(2)
The artists of the Revolution
Painted workers massive across
The back , with Popeye arms and hands.
Carved in stone, their heads were bowed.
This crew constructing reservoirs
On the roof across the street are whistling.
Onto their slender shoulders they lift
The tins of cement as light as ballerinas.
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