* * *

she stared at him as if there was nothing else to look at when they had been together a month or so he finally wanted to know more about her he did not know how to touch her or even how to desire such expertise immense sadness engulfed her the silent expanse between words and whispers

she found another rife with lustrous gestures could pretend that there was love in his eyes last chance to be observed measured desired before her contents were judged by their cover must open now delicate flower the bitter taste of her progress was slow their hands prancing like puppeteers her body as canonized sculpture his lips trembling she left him against the wall saturated in exultation

another agreed to marry because he had no more use for her she had different eyes then the full consonance of eventide no warmth of daylight could any longer rouse her heart but one day and another and watching while life goes by years later she would hardly remember his face he had asked who she would be without him so he became a paintstruck clown in her rare dreams when he died earlier than expected she learned to worship

her son escaped her elapsed endearment he had found a beautiful vessel to convey his luggage she was now the mother over whom a wife had to prevail there was the occasional call she could not accept nor could she endorse her spellbound grandchildren crawling about to the beat of some uncanny anapest better to be unobtrusive and learn to die alone her heart was a diamond waiting to be excavated she released her love to one who asked hard questions he had mastered a way to argue that made her cackle he took photographs and lingered over the wrinkles love could be careless and she was glad to listen with her mouth they had hoarded enough allegory to recite over coffee and toast each had survived an entire life with souls stored elsewhere their hearts encumbered with yearnings but having lingered now no longer waiting to be reunited