Dictation

when the

lords arrive with

their deportations

and missiles

the opinions of

the professional class

about how the world

should be

morph instead

to moderated discussion

of the best cheeses and wines

the latest broadway play

the decline of portly tenors

inconveniences

are tolerated

a few prized items

are put back in the closet

the cabinets with

the memorabilia of youth

are closed and locked

starch wends its way

back into the collars of white shirts

rigidity and ruler discipline

return to the raising of children

sometimes at night

rain falls through

the curfew in a hush

leaving little rivers

rushing down the sides

of dark empty streets