I’m in the dental chair
the assistant with some tenderness
slides the bib about my neck
adjusting it with her fingers
If this was another world -
if things were different -
she’s just about my age
I walk back to the monastery
light snow is falling
there is a clothesline
with panties and a bra
the cups are filling up with snow
it bothers me, but the lady
who owns them does not
seem to care
it is not my calling
to stroke the convex of a breast
but to feel the concave
of the cups – to empty
them of snow -
a lady’s panties – no
they would never fit a man -
these thoughts are out of line
perhaps I will see the Master
of Novices, confess – just in case -
ask the Blessed Virgin for help
and say a rosary.