The
Three Wives and I by Janet Mason |
the
three wives and I sit on the deck eating breakfast after a night of much teasing and no action-- in the morning I crawled into bed with two of them, laughing as we scratched each other's backs, naked and safe-- this couple with which I have often made three-- now we sit licking mango juice from our fingertips and drop perfect pearls of translucent green grapes into our mouths-- the thin clarity of morning sun has not yet begun to heat what will become the day-- and we are still sheltered from the blistering inferno until a yellow jacket tumbles into a glass of orange juice and sugar put out just for the bees-- and I say, that's what happens when you give yourself up to desire...it kills you... as I say this I look at the third wife-- who has sought refuge in her friends' home and sits silent and composed around her shattered and mending heart-- and she looks back at me, no, into me-- and though I have hidden them well she sees the demons peeking from the corner of my eye-- it is like this, life, the fire raging below, even here sitting with friends in the trembling blue air; it scorches the blond planks of the deck and burns in the soles of my feet-- as two of the wives sit transfixed, watching with fascination as the yellow jacket engorges itself toward death and I am trapped in thoughts of drowning and the third woman, this temporary wife, calmly stands and with her fork plucks the yellow jacket from its fate-- there is no reason at all, I think, that she can do this while we sit paralyzed watching as it staggers along the wooden rail toward freedom. |
Publications:
Email: JanetMason@aol.com |
issue
4 home | ec
chair |
broken news |
critical
urgencies | burning
bush |
||
corpse
home | search
| submit
| corpse
cafe | archives
| corpse
mall | our
gang
©1999-2002 Exquisite Corpse - If you experience difficulties with this site, please contact the webmistress. |