ASHBERY'S SHADOW
July 28 BIRTHDAY

Ashbery's shadow
in Central Park
leaves the lilac trees
in the darkness
of a newly arranged
kick ball field,
thinking a birthday wish
doesn't make the film
from the camera
footage real,
or a refreshed orange
may drink in a fragment
of a childhood memory
distinct from the art
on a Cezanne canvas,
here on a bench
two cops with first aid kits
give lasting attention
to a drug intervention
on the other side
of the absent minded grass
by a tripwire fence,
curiosity is not nullified
on speed by
the motorcycle driver,
drugs not mentioned
in a boy scout
handbook any longer,
being stoned
on disembodied language,
nearby a swearing in
at a muggy ceremony
on the loud speaker
for a new American citizen,
as a marathon ends
by an ice cream
concession stand
by the arbitrary dusk.