A Stonehold

the thief has made me a gift of his night’s booty somewhere, a daughter discovers her mother’s coral brooch missing, somewhere, a man recoils at the absence of his gambling stash. somewhere, a miser rifles over a vanished ransom in newly minted silver all this to buy a hotbed of memories to feed the children fresh-killed lies to open all the locks on love forever is a moment we hold in our stomachs as he brushes the smudge of his kiss across my lips, i smell the cologne of his fear a robust and smoky aroma mingled with the woody musk of courtrooms and the stench of pain-paved alleyways i take these things and promise to say mum