On the first day of lockdown I bought a honey-

colored calf and lifted it above my head at

sundown and every evening thereafter so that

as the honey-colored days gathered up in

honey-colored weeks and the calf grew ever

larger and fatter and more firmly rooted I became

stronger in parallel so that finally whenever the

apricot sun dipped down to the horizon I was

hoisting up a gigantic bull and I was really yoked

by then I mean I was absolutely ripped to shreds

and even the bull who for a long time had just

taken for granted that I could lift him even he

started to be impressed by my enormous capacity

for hoisting things up over my head and holding them

in place just a moment as the sunlight’s volley of

golden arrows shot towards me but never reached me

nor even glanced across my cheek for now I was

deathless and pure within the shadow of the bull