Dull twilight spits hesitant sulphur rain
   sky been down around our ears for weeks
   only once -- gap-glimpsed moon over that anal-retentive border wall
   as we laughed through some midnight checkpoint under yellow urban cloud
  
   weeks of frantic motion -- petrol veins of europe pumping
   through scratchy acid-bitten transparent winter trees
   through brownish haze that makes a ghost of the horizon
   i'm rushing after some ever-receding destination
  
   berlin tonight
   table-dancing in black tights
   waving a silver crutch in the blue lights
   shapechanging over glass
   on the front line of the last gasp
  
   green shoots of winter wheat and patches of snow
   russian walks dog in saxon field
   from the top of a solitary tree like the one on the flag of lebanon
   unblinking eye of hawk follows traffic on the autobahn
  
   tank convoy winds down smokestack valley
   pround chemical pennants wave against the sky
   turret gunner laughs when i throw up my hands
   i'm all glasses and grin to him under my "commie" fur hat
  
   berlin tonight
   table-dancing in black tights
   waving a silver crutch in the blue lights
   shapechanging over glass
   on the front line of the last gasp