do you remember the Roman remains

at Dougga do you remember

the olive hills of Tunisia all

bright air untainted

like holy water after the fonts

are emptied for Good Friday

and filled again for Sunday do you remember

how we argued through the olive grove through

the Baths how you folded your arms and leaned

against the Doric column

in the Capitol and I collapsed

laughing at how little you looked next to

Jupiter and you chased me

under the arch of Septimius Severus all the way

to the temple of Juno and you caught me there

and when all your body pushed at me

against the ancient wall of that temple

all your body was somehow

crying and a sharp bitter thing just

evaporated that was what happened to us

in the hills

at Dougga