From the collection published in 2022, Writing Notebook 2021.

A fine courtship but it’s broken now

i.
a ski resort oh heavens no
what would I do with it?
It was a late night and I said
you’ve done quite enough already.

ii.
The wire brush swept away the rust
the crumbled flecks of paint
accumulating for years
starting
the day after they were married

iii.
It would be
Embarrassing to anyone alive and breathing
and not too proud too stubborn to admit it
and all I remember is
my husband fell asleep.
Other people in town say it.
It still makes me shake all over.

iv.
That clock jitters across the bedside table
when the alarm goes off
So far
it has never fallen to the floor.

Sleep well, fortune hunter
Not a penny
Oh how fascinating those three words are
when I say them to you.

3/4/21