The Composition of Distances

Mount a high tower alone to read The Rise & Decline of the Roman Empire,
Rome’s comet suddenly appears in the newspaper.
Newspaper falls. Map opens. And remember a distant friend’s request.
The landscape sent here is already vague with dusk.
(Wake up: sky about to darken. Tedious! Perhaps go see a friend.)
Grey sky. Grey sea. Grey road.
Where now? And I know not how to verify some soil under the lamp.
How tired! Did someone dally with my vessel?
A friend brings here snow and 5 o’clock.