in nineteen eighty-seven
a certain academic
drove a red car
down a suburban street

in ninety-four
six police officers
(two patrols of three men)
met at a corner

in ninety-seven
a photographer arrived at a shoot
but neglected to bring film
and called his assistant

in ninety-nine
they sat in an open-air cafe
contemplating the tablecloth’s whiteness
with no definite purpose

in two thousand and one
a certain old man was sunbathing
on the shore of a little
lake in a residential area

in two thousand three
they closed that second-hand store
where they had that brand
of t-shirt, just like new

in two thousand five
a certain boy
dreamed of America
 and smiled all night

in two thousand six
for a whole day
it was the twenty-sixth
 of August