Six Poems

What is Exotic?
for Hasso Krull

Sweden is exotic -
and so is all of Finland.

Whortleberries certainly are.

Estonia is exotic -
and so is the Estonian word
for lizard: sisalik.

But the lizard herself
is my sister - those hot afternoons
when she comes indoors
            to hide -


Coffee

The signs are mostly in Tamil
at this tiny railway station.

It is the time between sunset
and a completely black monsoon sky.
...