Marital Lexicon Amid the Ruins
Born 1946
There is a date certain and a moment in time
When Darling Loving Aching Longing Inseparable
Half of all I dream and ever hope to be
Transforms, into My Spouse Life's Partner
Helpmeet Thanks-for-breakfast-got-to-run,
In Our Marriage, registered in Heaven and with the county clerk,
From this day forward, until in Death do we part.
In the halting lexicon of our conjugal love,
First we learn to sound each other's name,
Then Mama for three seasons, and Papa,
Safe behind the battlements and portcullis
Of Our Fenwickian Kingdom, proud rulers
Bound in fealty to love and responsible care
Well into the yellowing of the leaves,
And their rudding and anticipated fall.
Come the fall, we learn again to harmonize
The other's name, a frayed Imperfect Second.
Come the fall, partners and best friends
Until Death do us depart, or we dissolve
By mutual consent with no finding of a fault
Until someone screws up, or with. Until it turns ugly
And the leaves softly fade to disinterested brown.
We-live-apart-you-know. My-soon-to-be-ex.
Titles bestowed as circumstance and humour would decide,
As anger and great sadness would deride.
My-never-to-be-ex, we're to reconcile we're not.
We'll reach the goal together, cross the line as pals,
Clutching our praecipe, in intimate embrace
With pendente lite spousal support, intimacy of fear
And memories hard baked to grey resentful ashes. Ashes.
Battlements crumbled. Portculis smashed. We all fall down
And lie on interrogatories propounded amid the ruins.
My-pray-god-soon-to-be-ex:
There is a date certain and a moment in time when
All I dream and ever hope to be transforms, into
Divorce a vinculo matrimonii for such relief as the nature
Of the cause and justice shall require, registered in Circuit Court
Beyond the view of Heaven, from this day forward,
Until in Death I do depart.
My-ex.
DayPoems Poem No. 2785
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/2785.html">Marital Lexicon Amid the Ruins by Timothy Bovee</a>
The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
Timothy Bovee, editor
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