The Tomato-coloured Couch 8:45pm
My House is Ready
every dried rose is in place
not a spoon sits in the sink
all specks are off the floors
the coffee-table candle is lit
I am waiting for My Husband
to come home from work
& I am waiting, in place
for My Little Frog
to hop through
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:30pm
When I had My Shower of Silver Lights
over twenty years ago
I transferred
The Totality of God
on & into My Self
& spoke of It as such
ever since
Until Today
I spoke It all again
to a beautiful brown-haired woman
& by so doing
I
have
become
OURS
The Tomato-coloured Couch 1:00pm
Men don’t generally
pick lint & cat hairs
off of stuff
–
No kitty-litter leavings
get swept off the couch
by a male tidying hand
–
I’ve just put out cheese & crackers
for a new potential girlfriend
& lit a candle for Her
on My coffee table
Would a heterosexual man
have done the same?
The Tomato-coloured Couch 5:15pm
Some Wives willingly take care
of Their Husbands’ Intimacies:
They wash & fold Their Boxers & Socks
pick up fingernail clippings
from around the bathroom sink
wash Their Husbands’ Hair before work
(not on weekends)
& clean out the tub
–
aside from being served His Meals
My Husband is fairly self-sufficient
but I must remind Him —
I am not one of Those Wives
The Hawk Window Seat 3:10pm
Through My Screened-in Window
I Catch The Lupine & Wild Rose
Out By The Roadside
Rarely Travelled
The Lull Of The Surf
Out Past The Cape
Eases Its Way Through
The Song Of The Birds
& The Intermittent Play
Of Our Sunny Breeze
The Hawk Deck 10:50pm
I ate My Banana Breakfast
standing in My Sun Hat & Pyjamas
watching The Ocean sparkle
through The Summer Haze
–
Off to My Left
I could hear The Surf
& Birdsong all around
ushering me in
to My Next Existence
Joanna Gilman Hyde 