Echo Beach

His redhaired son and Little Mermaid daughter are asleep A sea breeze whispers them goodnight KashmirWeaves with cigarette smoke and talkOut into the dark of the olive grove belowFar away in timeChristosFamily manSilversmith FriendShirtless we push the wine bottle and conversation forward and backward like chess pieces whileA mantis knits and watches from the warm wallWe’ve agreed that Sotirios Kyrgiakos has settled well with RangersAnd what the thing about women isSheila at his side tuts in the Greek way that has become herFans herselfStrokes his leg That Independence Day is Philip Roth’s best novelSheila and the mantis both look up but say nothingThat sometimes you just wish …Then as a dog barks somewhere out in the nightStalemate.Was it Ultravox or Martha and The Muffins?