Wedlock

He does not complain when
she drinks too much at parties.
A solemn reserve masks his displeasure;
he is far too mannered
to provoke a scene.

While other couples quibble
over inane social decorum,
he maintains a decisive restraint,
even as she betrays
their most intimate affairs.

He does not censor her language
with unfamiliar guests,
although she spooks the delicate
among them with brash comedy
and wild gesticulation.

She croons to inviting men
when she finds him inattentive
and suffers aloud when he scorns
her amorous gesture.  Long after
others have bid goodnight,

he coaxes her to the car
and drives them home, stopping
along the rain-soaked freeway
so she may vomit her
memory of the evening.

He observes her beneath
a veil of tearful prayer and visions
of a cherished life reflected
in the pavement.  In the bedroom,
he rebuffs her advance,

insists she remove her soiled attire.
OK, Boss, she mutters.  You're the boss.
He draws a warm, saline bath,
presents fresh underclothes
and waits for her to change.


**First published in Duck Lake Journal