In the sudsy bathtub with my lover
hot & content, one finger
fiddling a weeping joint

we soak in lavender
& hold each other ;
slippery skin to skin.

in the burning flames of must-do lists
taxed sticky with banshee panic, historic blindness
banging the door and forlorn abrasions kneaded foul with vinegar

we’ve got sushi rice
cooking on the counter top.

our new-to-us abstract rug
is freshly vacuumed.

there’s Yeats and Armantrout
keeping company on the bookshelf.

Tonight I read my lover poems
as we eat sushi on the rug.