return

in febrile light
the pavilions shimmer,
the icons of the city glow –

dark widows
settle on their plinths –

rays descend
through ancient
deep-framed windows

into still interiors –

articulate silent spaces
holding a preparedness –

evoke a
preternatural memory –

the old fire
crackles its wooden bones
blazes again –

strong, medieval
bright in the room –

and the wiry dog
inexorably drawn
comes once more to sniff

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