Joanna Gilman Hyde

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