The Paris Review

Antwerp (2)

Whenever I went on too long about Antwerp
The doctor would quietly descend the two steps

To the kitchen and pour a cold French white
Into a tumbler, so as not to incriminate himself.

There was a growing sense of foreign matter
In my body, a sense that the divisions between

Old friends and this new emptiness …That the daughter had

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Acknowledges
The Plimpton Circle is a remarkable group of individuals and organizations whose annual contributions of $2,500 or more help advance the work of The Paris Review Foundation. The Foundation gratefully acknowledges: 1919 Investment Counsel • Gale Arnol

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