How Do You Know?

How do you know you’re being looked at
why do you flinch
do the nerves twitch in series
do they fall like dominoes
Babylon, Persia, Mohenjo Daro
the Mughal court in ruins
bouillon spilled out on the steppe
all of Sogdiana inflamed
the Khan castrated by his men
a mule placed on the diamond docket
it is we who imagine
who make and rob purses
but you are the one who feels
the cold blue sun at your back
probing to find the surface
delving into icy craters
sonar spelling out the unseen stitches
like a tongue exploring a seam