I am Writing an Opera

not a libretto, nor an aria

every word, every sound,

every stage direction

first written in simple English

then transformed into

eighteenth century Italian

shapes and sounds

with intricate curlicues

long pauses and high escapes

into words sung as to be untranslatable

how the knife enters the heart

and love like blood drains

on to the stage with the mistaken

murder, the misdirected rage ,

the moment of self-loss,

and when I am done,

I will sing all the parts

and plunge the knife

into my heart for the finale.