David Ignatow (1914-1997)




Simultaneously

Simultaneously, five thousand miles apart,
two telephone poles, shaking and roaring
and hissing gas, rose from their emplacements
straight up, leveled off and headed
for each other’s land, alerted radar
and ground defense, passed each other
in midair, escorted by worried planes,
and plunged into each other’s place,
steaming and silent and standing straight,
sprouting leaves.