As Usual

 

.

 

She dreams in stitches

across the grain

of midnight cloth

and sees his face

as usual

embroidered on the bias.

Holding tight

she tries to rip

the crooked seam

that binds

their unmatched checks

but then he smiles

as usual,

turns her threads

to boiling veins

and as usual

all their reds and purples

bleed.

.

(c) 1979, 2014 Betty Hayes Albright