Naked from the waist down, lying
on his side, the towel underneath him
drawn between his thighs,
this cannot be the man who leapt
into the sky, was taken prisoner
by the Germans and survived
two years of near starvation
before returning to his bride.

When I find his clothing
in a pile in the bathroom,
I have to think that I've arrived
just at the moment he decides
it's time to bathe and change
for the flight home to my mother,
who will recognize that he has dressed
for the occasion in his suit of light and fire.