I saw her long shadow walking down a siesta empty street,
near the docks in Livorno.
I had seen that shadow before in Baltimore and Tokyo,
always fifty feet long and in afternoons.
Suddenly the street was full of people
sitting in outdoor cafes drinking cappuccino.
By a table, an island of loneliness,
a tall girl sat drinking seven up and since she wasn’t
smoking I asked her if she was American “Yes”
“In that case have you seen a long shadow walking this way?”.
The street grew silent till a waiter came and
said that the table was free!.
‘But’ “It’s OK she isn’t here”
I ordered a martini and as the waiter cleared
the table, a dragging gloom fell across the street.