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(For Bill)

Again you dreamed of flying,
plus swimming in the deep
with humpback whales you saved from dying
before you had to leap

ashore – a tête-à-tête in
Beijing required your clout,
so diplomats (Chinese, Tibetan)
could finally work things out.

And me, you ask? As always,
my dreams were super too.
I wandered roach-infested hallways,
contracted avian flu,

then landed someplace–Hades?–
with men's rooms near and far,
but not a single door marked "Ladies"
(I had to use a jar).

Tonight, love, I'll be ready:
Before I snore and drool,
I plan to picture something heady–
the ocean, green and cool–

so that (asleep) I'll paddle
where I can watch you pass
astride your humpback's golden saddle,
and spear you in the ass.