All of Love is Opportunity

I’m  lost   

in  this  thickening  

fog  of expectations  

fermenting  beyond  their  prime  

on  who  said  what  to  who  again  

and  why? 

as  though  

if  we  can  just  unpick

the   blame  thread  

we  can  each  hold  up  our own  head  

and  cry  righteous  tears  

about   our  un-dead  love  

still the only thing

we  both  know  

is  what  we  can’t  let  go  

because  once  it  was  the  only  show  

we  wanted  to  watch  

but  now  it  is  a  stale  rerun  

of  knots  that  have  been  undone

longer  than  either  of  us  wanted  to  believe 

because  all  love of is  opportunity

 Even  when the  sheets  are  clean  

never  to  get  dirty again  

and  all  this  linen  we  keep  trying  to wash  is

stained  indelibly  with  us  

but  even so  I  fear  

our  hearts  will  never  be  reopened  

after  all  this  vinegar  soaking

because unless  we  stop  provoking  

all  that  we  ever had  will  be  tossed  

like  leaves  plucked  off in  summer  

never  to  let  the  tree  recover  

so if  I  don’t  want  to  be  lovers  

that

doesn’t mean  

I  don’t  still  love us