The Hawk Window Seat 8:46am
I’ve picked out
My Husband’s Wednesday attire —
Dockers M made in Vietnam
pin-striped shirt
charcoal grey wool trousers
LL Bean size 34″ by 29″
He’s in the tub
& I’m in Eliza’s black negligee
ready to wash Dr Blair’s
magnificent hair
The Hawk Kitchen 2:10pm
I stood in The Portal
of My House
waving good-bye
to My Husband after
lunch —
I stood
as A Woman
not just of The House
but of The World
The Tomato-coloured Couch 5:55pm
Today I built a mountain
of the discards of the rich
stacked on top
of the refuse
from The Department of Health and Wellness
piled in doorways
and corridor
of My Husband’s old office
and residence
The Heap grew literally
from floor to ceiling
and I achieved
My Freedom
from dead wives
and grown children
and in a laundry room attic
I said I would never clean out
I found, like a miracle
a brass lampshade knob
to secure
the naked bulb of a fancy floor lamp
with its preserved shade
properly fit
The Hawk Outpost 7:40am
The Sun looks cold
this morning
muffled behind a cloud
of fog
My Trash is bagged
to be dragged to the roadside
& I am about to have coffee
with My New
Husband
The Hawk Kitchen 2:55pm
I put My green-checked apron
on over My Glittering Chains
dangling from Eliza’s left-over sweater
while a big black cat circles My Ankles —
I’m ready to make lasagna
for various dinners this week —
the first week for My Husband
in His New Town
The First for Me
as The Doctor’s Wife
The Hawk Outpost 1:41pm
There’s a ridge of ice
on The Ocean
& Deer in the yard
hungry for Our Neighbours’
carrots
I’m done packing
Dr Blair’s
book collection
18 boxes in all
moved from Barrington
to The Hawk
in time for
lunch
The Hawk Dining Room 8:35am
The Silver is on The Water
again
as Timeless as Ever
greeting Me
on This New Day
of My Husband’s Ready Office
seven minutes
from
The Hawk
&
a five-minute walk
for
The Secretary of Twenty-seven Years
The Tomato-coloured Couch 3:32pm
Last Night I Had A Dream
I was married
to Dr Blair
I felt safe
in the security
of Our Marital Bed
I felt His Warm Right Hand
on My Left
& then I went to sleep
The Hawk Queen Bed 9:18am
I am comfortable
in My House —
It’s not a hotel
with lavish sheets & pillows —
It comes with A Husband
& Seven Cats
lying about with the rain
& Our Second Cups
of Coffee
The Hawk Queen Bed 9:57am
Hunter has a sideways glance
I find so endearing
He cocks His Head
to the right
& catches You with His Eye
tilted
for a split second
& looks away & down
having hinted
“Isn’t that so?”
Joanna Gilman Hyde 