The Marriage Twists, Holds Firm, A Sailor's

Being Kissed On The Back Of The Knee Is A Moth At The Windowscreen.

In An Old Time There Was A King As Wise As A Dictionary.

Emerald As Heavy As A Golf Course, Ruby As Dark As An Afterbirth, Diamond As White As Sun On The Sea.

I Lay There Silently, Hoarding My Small Dignity. I Did Not Ask About The Gate Or The Closet. I Did Not Question The Bedtime Ritual Where, On The Cold Bathroom Tiles, I Was Spread Out Daily And Examined For Flaws. I Did Not Know That My Bones, Those Solids, Those Pieces Of Sculpture Would Not Splinter.

All Day I've Built A Lifetime And Now The Sun Sinks To Undo It.