One Lexus May Hide Another

By Linda Boroff

(With acknowledgements to One Train May Hide Another by Kenneth Koch and Caesar’s Gallic Wars, interlinear translation)

In a poem, one line may hide another line,
In a non-disclosure agreement, one clause might hide another,
As at a crossing, one train may hide another train.
As at an off-ramp one Lexus may hide another Lexus.
That is, if you are waiting to cross
That is, if you are waiting to exit 
The tracks, wait to do it for one moment at
The freeway, wait to do it for one moment at
Least after the first train is gone. And so when you read
Least until the BMW riding your ass is gone. And so when you read 
Wait until you have read the next line—
Wait until you have read the next clause
Then it is safe to go on reading.
Then it is safe to go on reading.
In a family one sister may conceal another,
In a start-up, one hustler may conceal another,
So, when you are courting, it’s best to have them all in view
So when you’re meeting, it’s best to have them all in view
Otherwise in coming to find one you may love another.
Otherwise, in dodging one, you may find you encounter another
One father or one brother may hide the man,
One manager or one cockblocker may hide the hustler,
If you are a woman, whom you have been waiting to love.
If you are a woman, whom you have been trying to avoid.
So always standing in front of something the other
So always hiding behind something the setup
As words stand in front of objects, feelings, and ideas.
As hands reach under skirts, pants, and blouses
One wish may hide another. And one person’s reputation may hide
One grab may hide another, and one person’s puny HR reprimand may hide
The reputation of another. One dog may conceal another
The harassment report of another. One dog may conceal a bigger dog
On a lawn, so if you escape the first one you’re not necessarily safe;
At a bar, so if you escape the first one, you’re not necessarily home free
One lilac may hide another and then a lot of lilacs and on the Appia Antica one tomb
One wine spritzer may hide a roofie, and then a lot of roofies and on the El Camino Real one Residence Inn
May hide a number of other tombs. In love, one reproach may hide another,
May hide a number of other flops. In a pass, one grope may hide another
One small complaint may hide a great one.
One small rub may hide a great assgrab
One blaring red uniform another, and another, a whole column. One bath may hide another bath
One Ferragamo blazer another, and another, and a whole line of coke. One shower may hide another shower
As when, after bathing, one walks out into the rain.
As when, after drinking, one walks out into the rain
One idea may hide another: Life is simple
One ride offer may hide another: a favor is simple
Hide Life is incredibly complex, as in the prose of Gertrude Stein
Grope favor is incredibly devious, as is the prose of Harvey Weinstein
One sentence hides another and is another as well. And in the laboratory
One offer hides another and is another as well. And in the boardroom
One invention may hide another invention,
One promise of promotion may hide another come-on
One evening may hide another, one shadow, a nest of shadows.
One late meeting may hide another, one task, a nest of intentions.
One dark red, or one blue, or one purple–this is a painting
One manila folder or one CD, or one flash drive—-this is a setup
By someone after Matisse. One waits at the tracks until they pass,
By someone after Weinstein. One waits in the foyer until he showers,
These hidden doubles or, sometimes, likenesses. One identical twin
These hidden moguls or, sometimes, hopeful copycats. One identical harasser
May hide the other. And there may be even more in there! The obstetrician
May hide the other. And there may be even more out there! The adulterer
Gazes at the Valley of the Var. We used to live there, my wife and I, but
Gazes at the Valley of the Silicon. We used to live there, my boyfriend and I, but
One life hid another life. And now she is gone and I am here.
One life hid another life. And now he is gone and I am here.
A vivacious mother hides a gawky daughter. The daughter hides
An ambitious admin hides a gawky colleague. The colleague hides
Her own vivacious daughter in turn. They are in
Her own ambitious colleague in turn. They are in
A railway station and the daughter is holding a bag
A BART station and the colleague is holding a bag
Bigger than her mother’s bag and successfully hides it.
Bigger than the admin’s bag and successfully hides it
In offering to pick up the daughter’s bag one finds oneself confronted by the mother’s
In offering to pick up the admin, you find yourself confronted by the colleague
And has to carry that one, too. So one hitchhiker
And have to take that one along too. So one favor
May deliberately hide another and one cup of coffee
May deliberately hide another and one shot of Schnapps
Another, too, until one is over-excited. One love may hide another love
or the same love
Another too, until one is drunk. One come-on may hide another come-on
Or the colleague’s come on
As when “I love you” suddenly rings false and one discovers
As when “I lust you” suddenly rings false and one discovers
The better love lingering behind, as when “I’m full of doubts”
The hotter pickup lingering behind, as when “I’m full of coke”
Hides “I’m certain about something and it is that”
Hides “I’m certain that she’s a sure thing and that is it.”
And one dream may hide another as is well known, always, too. In the Garden of Eden
And one intention may hide another, as is well known, always, too. In the parking lot
Adam and Eve may hide the real Adam and Eve.
Adam and Jennifer may hide the real Adam with Tiffany.
Jerusalem may hide another Jerusalem.
Corporate headquarters may hide another headquarters
When you come to something, stop to let it pass
When you run into someone, stop to let him pass
So you can see what else is there. At home, no matter where,
So you can see who is really lurking. At home, no matter where,
Internal tracks pose dangers, too: one memory
Hidden intentions pose dangers too: one forgotten exchange
Certainly hides another, that being what
Certainly hides another, that being what a blackout is all about,
The eternal reverse succession of contemplated entities. Reading
The eternal denial of sequence of completed penetrations. Reading A Sentimental Journey look around
Chaos Monkeys look around
When you have finished, for Tristram Shandy, to see
When you have finished, for Never Split the Difference too
If it is standing there, it should be, stronger
If it is lying there, it should be, stronger
And more profound and theretofore hidden as Santa Maria Maggiore
And more deceptive and theretofore hidden, as the Santa Clara Industrial park
May be hidden by similar churches inside Rome. One sidewalk
May be hidden by similar office parks inside Santa Clara. One unfamiliar apartment
May hide another, as when you’re asleep there, and
May hide another, as when you’re asleep there, and
One song hide another song; a pounding upstairs
One Facebook page hide another page, a ringing smartphone
Hide the beating of drums. One friend may hide another, you sit at the foot of a tree
Hide the beating of drums. One false friend may hide another
With one and when you get up to leave there is another
one and when you get up to leave, there is another
Whom you’d have preferred to talk to all along. One teacher,
Whom you’d have preferred to talk to all along. One mentor,
One doctor, one ecstasy, one illness, one woman, one man
One Veep, one bar of Xanax, one tab of Norco, one woman, one man
May hide another. Pause to let the first one pass.
May hide another man. Pause to let the first one pass out.
You think, Now it is safe to cross and you are hit by the next one. It can be important
You think, now it is safe to leave and you are hit on by the next one. It can be important
To have waited at least a moment to see what was already there.
To have waited at least an hour to see what was already planned.