Poem for Wednesday and Wheaton Trains

The Tennis Court Oath
By John Ashbery

What had you been thinking about
the face studiously bloodied
heaven blotted region
I go on loving you like water but
there is a terrible breath in the way all of this  
You were not elected president, yet won the race  
All the way through fog and drizzle
When you read it was sincere the coasts
stammered with unintentional villages the  
horse strains fatigued I guess... the calls...
I worry

the water beetle head
why of course reflecting all
then you redid you were breathing
I thought going down to mail this
of the kettle you jabbered as easily in the yard  
you come through but
are incomparable the lovely tent
mystery you don’t want surrounded the real  
you dance
in the spring there was clouds

The mulatress approached in the hall — the
lettering easily visible along the edge of the Times
in a moment the bell would ring but there was time  
for the carnation laughed here are a couple of "other"

to one in yon house
The doctor and Philip had come over the road
Turning in toward the corner of the wall his hat on
reading it carelessly as if to tell you your fears were justified  
the blood shifted you know those walls
wind off the earth had made him shrink
undeniably an oboe now the young
were there there was candy
to decide the sharp edge of the garment
like a particular cry not intervening called the dog "he's coming! he's coming" with an emotion felt it sink into peace  
there was no turning back but the end was in sight
he chose this moment to ask her in detail about her family and the others  
The person.  pleaded — "have more of these
not stripes on the tunic — or the porch chairs
will teach you about men — what it means"
to be one in a million pink stripe
and now could go away the three approached the doghouse  
the reef.  Your daughter’s
dream of my son understand prejudice
darkness in the hole
the patient finished
They could all go home now the hole was dark
lilacs blowing across his face glad he brought you

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My day started with taking Adam to school, even though it's finals week and he didn't have one today so he technically didn't have to be in the building, because the yearbook photographer was taking a photo of the National Honor Society members for the yearbook. Then I brought him home and had to drag Daniel out of bed early -- by which I mean 10:30 a.m. -- to go to the bank, where we needed to switch his checking and savings from custodial accounts to accounts that are all his now that he's legally an adult. Adam and I both had things to deposit and we all had to stop in CVS, so that worked out.

My father took both boys out for lunch while I caught up on computer stuff. Then they came back, Adam went to visit a friend, Daniel went to play video games with his friends, I worked on an article. We had a minor disaster with a broken measuring cup at dinnertime that required a thorough sweeping of the kitchen and vacuuming of the hallway. Then we watched Agents of SHIELD (better this week), last night's Beauty and the Beast (I always like it -- whatever's up with Vincent and Catherine, I like that it doesn't vilify other women), and a bit of Australian Open tennis.

A few photos from Brookside Garden's Garden of Lights train display, including the miniature greenhouse inside the greenhouse (which also has a miniature train display inside it), a miniature of Glen Echo Park with the carousel and trolley, a miniature of the Kensington train station, and a miniature of the Wheaton ice skating rink: