i.
wedding vows sang
like a funeral dirge
and hands twitching
something fierce,
something terrified.
a congregation of red eyes
waiting for the passion play.

                ii.
night rushing in like 
a high tide and the moon
pulling you to him. 
hands wandering, 
unsure, careful,
over unknown territory.
sucking secrets through the teeth. 

                iii.
hurricane war sweeping 
him from your bed
furious and desperate.
hands still at your sides,
never reaching out. 
a kingdom stirring
beneath your bare feet. 

                iv. 
the decade of fear 
and hunger for news.
hands tapping
to the songs of heroes.
picking names
from between lyre strings.

                v.
the lost years
and the ocean itself
crashing into you.
hands weaving, unweaving
steady like stones
sinking to the bottom.
men like ivy,
relentless, poison.

                vi.
a reunion with
murdered decorum,
massacre instead of souvenirs.
hands keeping
the mouth from screaming.
blood in rivers 
running toward your feet.

                vii. 
history watering you down
to wife, to faithful.
hands clenching
tight into fists.
a forgotten legacy,
the inability to wither
ignored.