Last Night's Dream by Barry Gifford

    In last night's dream I went back to see 
you
    I found you on a bad street in Mexico 
City
    working as a prostitute
    You didn't want me to look at you
    You'd lost your job, had no money
    Come with me, I said, I'll take care of you
    You wouldn't let me touch you
    No, you said, it won't be any use,
    and anyway, you know I'm dead
    I hung around out of sight and watched 
you
    solicit strangers on the street,
    men walking, men in cars
    You came around a corner and spotted 
me
    Leave me alone you said, it's too late
    You still looked good, your hair was 
clean
    and black but a couple of your teeth were 
missing
    and your clothes were soiled
    You walked quickly toward another 
street
    Don't follow me, you shouted
    I remembered that you had a photo
graph
     of me on a wall in your house,
     one I'd never seen before
     I asked you where it was from,
     who'd taken it, where you'd gotten it
     I made it, you said, out of photographs
     of other people, it was difficult
     and it took me a very long time