THE TWO

Because the first
is receptive
to gutterdirt,
sniffing
asparagus tins,
bits of forgotton wool,
and a hag’s smelly
toothbrush,
he leaps
long and light
into the dreamcolours
of saints;
while this other,
this one
who eschews
the misery of flies,
the grandeur of ditches,
and like a mongrel
avoids the rabid sun,
turns into
a hunk
of bleeding ice.