HER LIVING
Adele lived in a home
where the furniture reasoned itself
into place.
She did not create but became
swept up in oak armoires
and massive pieces, she could
neither move nor tolerate.
Though aware that her lover
would leave her soon, she was
unable to shed her gestures at pleasing:
she was expert at conciliation
especially in the good times.
After the parting she managed
to push the recliner close to the window
changing her perspective
from the cat box to the sun.
The armoire went into the storage shed
and the patterns of her caftan
swirled and clung, musky with possibilities.
—from Rattle #8, Winter 1997