Wife

44 THEMINNESOTA REVIEW JOAN MALORY WEBBER WIFE When I first hated you, you sat With your bent back to the sea, while the tide Poured in. I played, Absorbed in its risk and light. Your force was knotted, Lodged. Even your sex closed off. When I read somewhere, "revulsive face Of God," I thought of you. I love you, Hold on, past your strident voice, and my Smashed bones that heal accusingly. They're none of mine, smug in their plaster casts, No more than your balked semen is of you. Our pale lives glisten on the lens Of solitude. Beyond Our silhouettes, the dark bites deep. ...