Eight: thesis (poem)

Posted by ractrose on 22 Dec 2020 in Art, Poems

This is not an easy thing to say

…or will be hard for you to hear

or, he thought, we need to talk

at last he thought, let me ask you…

better, she’ll have to say okay

no one says no

no, because I wasn’t ready

no, because you ask if you can ask…

…and I see. But with an upsetting empathy

he sees. The yawn before them not the old ennui

If I go

If negotiate entente, plug start and finish times

into a meeting app and we allow the power

to each, of switching the other off

we talked, in early days, you had the place

the fenced yard and quiet street

for a garden, for a dog

at times the old woman, from her kitchen

slow steadying on an ankle, hand tight on the fraying screen

door, we had to wait, for politeness’ sake

for the other shoe to drop

at the pickets she always said

you can have it, I’ll take off the rent

and when she died her son said no

we have to sell both, this one and that

and found a buyer with a leasing scheme

more than the two of us, pooling resources

could bleed, free of our small savings

this is not an easy thing to say

theory