A Scandalous Dandy

(a borrowed Song from Adrienne Rich)

You’re wondering if I’m happy:
OK then, no, I’m not happy
as the viper inside a cage
searches for an escape, pressing
its nose against the glass
against the screen on top,
smelling the air of freedom

You want to ask, am I happy?
Well, of course, happy
as the young lover betrayed
or facing the mirror
when you warned yourself
that they too were a snake
whose bite is in the leaving

If I’m happy
it must be the joy
of sleeping, of dreaming
through the night’s cold air
of avoiding reality, avoiding
the loops and spirals inside each day

If I’m happy
it’s with the kite held by the wind
in the last hours of the day
that knows what it is, that knows it’s neither
ground nor sky nor sunlight
but nylon, with a gift for flying.