Newspaper surrounds her body
insulatingheat,
transforming her shape into a geometrical form
living,
breathing,in and out
The New York Times headlines:
low-income family wins tenmillion-dollar jackpot,
Fire breaks out in 20-story project,
Raging cultureriots,
Iraq and Iran
wrap around the edges of her body
like a manleaning on her back
hovering,
holding her head,
a helplessbaby.

But every once in a while
she sheds the newspaper,
a doomedworld.
Protean hands
start pulling
ripping the space apart
reshapingit with graceful movements
fingers flickering like electricbutterflies

She pulls her hair from her face,
sticking the greasystrands behind her ears
She wedges the dirt out of her nails,
and appliessome blush
to cover the words imprinted on her face.

With a twitchingsmile
she peers into the congested halls
and yells,
"I am thecaptain; follow me ..."