“Prehistoric man sitting on the crapper
envious of your wife’s achievements.” Dorothy, Servant
Husband observes from a porcelain throne
the way wife plays her wet body as if
she is alone in a brownstone they own,
while a strange girl for pay comes to stay with
some doll designed to make it okay that
their son is dead (truth no one can say). He
sips vintage wine. Peels eels. Servant prays. Plaits
woven crosses, hangs above his baby’s
crib. Wife postulates he hates women’s
lib. System where women can outsource
childcare sometimes means stench of tomato canned
soup near rarified air, husband’s main course —
three kinds of hare, with soupçon of the Lord.
Grief is a consort who won’t be ignored.
***
Kristin Garth is the author of seventeen books of poetry including Flutter Southern Gothic Fever Dream, The Meadow and Candy Cigarette Womanchild Noir. She is the Dollhouse Architect of Pink Plastic House a tiny journal and has a weekly sonnet podcast called Kristin Whispers Sonnets. Visit her site Kristingarth.com and talk to her on Twitter @lolaandjolie
image: Jesse Hilson
Rejection Letters 