Procedures Poem by Rae Armantrout

The palm tree exposes
a large number
of loose, carved spines

out of pleasure?

Boredom?

*

To start over
in the carved moment
is to take cover.

*

A solid short woman
in a pink wool suit

proceeds—
anxiously? doggedly?

alone

up a sidewalk
laid down for her.

(We don't believe it.)

*

There are two kinds
of choices,

pirate sources say:

unconscious
and desperate.