douse yourself, delouse yourself

I have been hovering a knife
over the eggplant

your foot hovers over the last stair
I have heard the creaking
of the preceding stairs
and the shifting of your weight
as if on pulleys

you are motionless
I am motionless
the eggplant is
motionless

these are the aubergines
and there are no shepherds here
there is nothing here
but dust percolating

step down
off the stair, the egg
is getting cold
there might still be time
there is always time
for waiting
and for the craning of necks
each to each