[Over There He Made]

Over here he made a pile of what he had had and

lost. Over there a pile of what he was owed. Then a

pile of what he possessed and a pile of what he

desired. After measuring them, he added a pile of

what he deserved and put it beside the others. Then

came the pile of what was his by rights, the pile of

what he had failed to achieve, the pile of what he

had been cheated out of, the pile of what had been

stolen. His calculations took years. In the beginning

he had had many gifts, different roads his life could

take, now his calculations took all his attention-

what he had, what others had, what he should

have-all the oughts and might-have-beens. It made

its own pile.