Walter and His Fat Wife V
Walter walks with his fat wife
down to the riverbank
on very warm nights.
They carry a light blanket
and lie in the grass.
This July night the moon is full.
“Walter,” says his wife,
“The moon has been spurned
by a man weeding his garden.”
“Tell me the story, sweet wife,” says Walter.
“Look, her face is swollen and dewy eyed.
See her mist hang in the air?
He was trimming tomato vines
with sharp shears
and wouldn’t look at her.
He said, ‘I just don’t see anything here.’
He could not bear the longing in her heart
the sweet taste of her lips
nor the swooning song
of circling night birds.”
Walter’s arms flutter
around his fat wife’s waist.
He lifts his face from her beating heart
and kisses her
there under the full moon.