Yet, it keeps resurfacing in various ways, our
love, our hammered love, inching up for years.

I’ve tried not to adore her deeply, to quit her,
but I’ve failed. My slobbering heart holds right

a fire of flattery, blood pressure notably
skyrocketing when she comes through the door.

And on those good days, when I’m not prone
to naked stupidity, not zip-tied with worry –

when she’s pragmatic, not pissed-off,
and removes ambiguity from our ceremony –

on those days we speak of trust and starry
affection, of mashing malaise and crushing

the pitch-fork. The record shows creepy things
can be culled from musty corners. When we

calmly lay side-by-side we know how to retrofit,
how to beat age and anger out of the mattress,

making room for all-out dreams and desires,
all wise, if only temporary, before our happy eyes.

 

CARY B. ZITER is the author of several published books for young readers as well as a book of poems “Someone is Looking for You” (Rockwood Press). He earned his master’s in literature from Bennington College. His poetry appears in many literary journals. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley region.