in retreat

that the broken
    vale
    stutters its utter 

malignancy in retreat, that water
    is now
    nice - politeness

in retreat, that summer
    winds
    down - not in

advance, that
    your
    afterlife is

measurable in loveless
    hymn-
    that too in

defeat, that quote
    from
    ghalib - in
defeat, that rote missive and yesterday missing its yesterday.