I consult the old oracle,
I draw the Dao of Perseverance –
make it all come together –

all, you know, meaning
married to metaphor,
the alchemical conjunction;

the institution of marriage
the enduring union
soft and compliant inside

like hands held
under the bedclothes

you’re in a good mood my husband laughs
and I laugh inside, yes, well, wouldn’t you be
if you’d played polished keys,
modern music, to well over
however long it lasts –

there he goes into the world with our whistling son –
I lie back, glance at recipe books, consider supper,
consider a party when our daughter comes back,
consider the lilies,
consider the spring, decide it’s begun
get up: bring it all together:
get into that matter.