One night I was home alone

quite late past eleven

and my dog was whining and

moaning and I went over 

to stroke her & pat

her & proclaim

her beauty &

then I returned

to my art review

but Roseie wouldn’t

stop. Something was

wrong. & then

I saw her.

It looked like a circle 

a wooden mouth

in the upper third

of my bathtub

cover which

was standing

on its side

it is the Lady I thought

this perfect sphere

on the wooden 

bathtub cover

incidentally separating

kitchen &

middle room

in my home

where I 

live & 

work. That is 

all. I’m just

a simple

catholic girl

I had been

thinking, pondering

over my

review. That’s

why it’s 

so hard

for me but the

Lady came &

she said, stay here

Eileen stay here

forever finding

the past in the future

& the future

in the past

know that it’s 

always so

going round &

it is with

you when

you write

& she didn’t

go, she

remains a stain

on the bathtub 

cover, along with

many other stains,

the dog’s leash &

half-scraped lesbian

invisibility stickers

and other less specific

but equally permanent

traces of paper &

holes     four of

them and they

are round too

like the Lady

& I don’t have to

tell anyone.