Now that I’m alone
the laughter opens its wings and flies away.
Our fun is fun but also temporary.
Soon I’ll be in my room, lying in bed without a man,
my hips and breasts clothed,
the mattress on my left side never been worn.
Nights, whatever I’d eaten earlier will soothe me,
putting me to sleep like a pill.
Mornings, an alarm clock will wake me,
pouring me out to the world like an oil spill:
Widow, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend,
Student of Earth
Example of Obedience
Teacher of Patience
An Observer of Life
But not a Lover
I want to be the girl with the diamond ring,
no longer the one carrying all those profound titles
over her conscience.