10.13.2012

Tiny Ways (a poem)

Tiny Ways

The threat of a long arc of forgiveness
raises questions for me

Mainly, is the steadfastness of your love
tethered to the consistency of your morning ritual?

If your eggs are runny,
will I pay in a thousand tiny ways, long into the future?

A thousand tiny ways

one would be silence
another would be noise
a third would be distance
maybe chatter would be on the list
and absence
persistent drunkenness
wandering eye
revealing arsonist tendencies
subterfuge
sending postcards when traveling for work, but only writing famous, vaguely applicable quotes on them instead of your true sentiment
teabags in the sink
water on the bathroom floor
dirty dishes beside the bed
interfering with my crossword puzzles
getting a cat without telling me
letting the garden die
never fixing the broken stair
not reading my work
keeping the good wine for yourself
your leaving taking me by surprise