There are guests at the dinner
friends at the party
he laughs when he says
almost drove past the church that day
there’s a list in his head
a repertoire
he talks about his acid years
man I was crazy
took off my clothes
threw ‘em all in the creek
his kayaking days
I paddled the Chattooga
that’s the one in “Deliverance”
a Class Five river
I’m an expert of course
and she sits beside him
he calls her his lady
she smiles when he says
almost drove past the church that day
and later at home
the friends at the party
the guests at the dinner
will ask one another
why he thought that was funny
did you see the look on her face
they will say
and she lies beside him
at night in their bed
grinding her teeth
working her jaw
the stories play on a loop in her head
she goes through the list
his repertoire
I would’ve been drafted
he tells people now
on my way to South Vietnam
but that’s when we learned—
he looks at me
he laughs and mouths “thank you”
and sometimes at night when I'm lying in bed
grinding my teeth
working my jaw
when our repertoire plays on a loop in my head
I picture a church and a car driving by.