pleasure

"keep your eyes shut," i say.

her eyelids tighten.

"are you almost done?" she asks.

she lay, nude, on her back.
I straddle her.

I paint the sun rising
over a cornfield,
and a hawk perched
on a fence
looking eastward
on her skin.

"can i open them yet?" she asks.

"not yet," i tell her.

"joe?" she says.

"what?"

"why do i have to close my eyes?"

"because," I say,

"i can't concentrate
with you looking at me."