The last public letter writer
Found a button on the street
Pale brown, a six-holed operculum;
She recognized it as one fallen
From Death's collar. (All
his buttons
Have six holes; all are opercula
Of the type called Shiva's-eye.)
She cannot sew -- her cat
Does the mending for both of them –
But asked the photographer Atget
To include the button in her portrait.
It sits on her table, next to some pens.
It's always there, unlike her cat
Or the letter writer herself. If Death
Needs his button, he'll know
Exactly where to look.
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