who approaches you on the beach
as you discard the residue of the world
he pursues and persuades
and you defer to the domestic
make fruit cake his mother’s recipe
your life turns like the lake
at just the right time of summer
into muck
after he admits he liked to bake
with his late spouse
and he returns to the home he shared with her
forgets to call you forgets to tell you
he still has her ashes and
their debts
he says “I want a pure marriage”
like a line or a hit to heaven as if
you are an adulteress or his mistress
not a woman of any significance
so you’ll return to the lake to
this complicated grief
then search for a home of your own
