a marriage in haikus

(poem)

Husband

dried fig leaf, arranged
to cover my nakedness
to protect my buds

soft-hearted scabbard
wrapped around my hips just so
no one can see me


Wife

if he makes me thirst
if he leaves me without drink
he thinks I may wilt

he wants me to stay
he prefers me anywhere
as long as I’m home


Us

even if we had
all the babies in the world
between us, I’d know

it’s not the children
it’s the false dichotomy
of you versus me


Future

I have been naked
for so long I don’t know how
to put on my clothes

he offers me help
but I want its opposite:
helpless acceptance