Michiko Dead
By Jack Gilbert
He manages like somebody carrying a box
that is too heavy,
first with his arms
underneath. When their strength gives out,
he moves the hands forward, hooking them
on the corners,
pulling the weight against
his chest. He moves his thumbs
slightly
when the fingers begin to tire, and it makes
different
muscles take over. Afterward,
he carries it on his shoulder,
until the blood
drains out of the arm that is stretched up
to
steady the box and the arm goes numb. But now
the man
can hold underneath again, so that
he can go on without ever
putting the box down.