And how else to exit the year
…………but with the wet entering every
orifice, its cold clear teeth biting
…………into my skin softened like a bolus.
Your body on the balcony beside
…………me, gummed of its meat. Because
that’s what the year has done
…………to us—sucked us slick as a rib.
And what a clearing. Tears filled
…………my ears till there was no more sound.
But despite the deafening, believe
…………me when I say: this is not drowning.
I place my face against your stomach,
…………mouth its loudening growl. Because
I’ve waited all my life for this kind
…………of plunder. Because I’ve waited all
my wife for this kind of flood, so
…………when the thunder comes, all
that thrums is your thin bone
…………tonguing us—no, stunning us—
with the hunger of a new beginning.