Elaine Equi,
"The Objects in Japanese Novels"

Empty cages outline
the periphery of a named thing.
Their emptiness shines
like lanterns on virgin snow.
A few flakes swirl up,
caught—as scenic views
are caught in parts of speech,
where wishes and schemes
glow gloomy as a shrine,
and hair is a kind of incense.
Here, even abundance is delicate
with a slender waist.
And sorrow, embarrassment, disgust
can be aestheticized too
if surrounded by the right things—
a refreshing breeze, a small drum.

From Ripple Effect: New and Selected Poems. Equi will be reading tonight at Marymount Manhattan College with fellow poet Laure-Anne Bosselaar, in a National Poetry Month event sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.