James GRINWIS

AT THE WOLF HOUR

A wolf came in.

We said, "Look out,
a wolf!" and tucked our cups
into our ankles.

A vaporous light
channeled through the window
and rendered everything pointillistic.

Vaughan went out walking
for a couple of days and nights.

The wolf yawned hugely and took
all of the sofa, the girls had to scat.

One crawled under the table
and fell asleep, a pear
cupped in her hand.

Our conversation stilled.
Williams muttered something
about things being so rough-shod these days.

"Sho, shoo!" The wallpaper said.

With one paw curled over his snout,
the wolf dozed. The air turned to smoke.

Outside, the street stayed empty.
A lamp flickered and went on.

Hesitantly, Omar passed the bottle to Jane.

Some strangers entered the mouth of a cave
as an eyelid slowly opened.

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