Sunday, June 11, 2006

After the Argument, by Stephen Dunn, BEST POET EVER

After the Argument

Whoever spoke first would lose something,
that was the stupid
unspoken rule.

The stillness would be a clamor, a capo
on a nerve. He'd stare
out the window,

she'd put away dishes, anything
for some noise. They'd sleep
in different rooms.

The trick was to speak as if you hadn't
spoken, a comment
so incidental

it wouldn't be counted as speech.
Or to touch while passing,
an accident

of clothing, billowly sleeve against
rolled-up cuff. They couldn't
stand hating

each other for more than one day.
Each knew this, each knew
the other's body

would begin to lean, the voice yearn
for the familiar confluence
of breath and syllable.

When? Who first? It was Yalta, always
on some level the future,
the next time.

This time
there was a cardinal on the bird feeder;
one of them was shameless enough
to say so, the other pleased

to agree. And their sex was sa knot
untying itself, a prolonged
coming loose.


Look, it's Stephen Dunn, my husband!:

2 comments:

asdfasdfasdf said...

He's not really your husband, is he? By the way awesome poem and thanks for the comment. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do yet. Just taking it day by day and trying to find a doctor I trust. Health care may be 'free' in Canada, but it SUCKS!

Arline said...

Thanks for posting this wonderful poem! It was read to me yesterday and I was hungry to taste it again. How well I know those silences!