How do they stand
steadfast in weather,
unbending with time?
They don’t respond
to any distraction,
don’t fret or smile
or frown. When they need
to be still, they keep
still. How is it
part of such
excessive contract—
They keep a straight
spine, hold
the unvaried beat
and line. I can’t
imagine what goes on
in their minds, what
it takes not to flinch
in even the slightest
while I keep stumbling
from one desire to
another: though more way-
ward, I, sentinel too,
of the same tomb.