i want to be a good wife, to keep
my slippers clean
the bed sated, the
cupboards full
i want to be a good wife, the
funny kind that makes you split
your pants when you are laughing
i want to be a good wife and listen
to all the atrocities and mundanities
with equal measure i want
to be a good wife and
adorn my husband with garlands of love
and feasts of pheasant
even when it is raining
and we have no money
i want to be a good wife
and tend to the little things
while he is away
sifting through the promises of grandeur
i want to be a good wife
and slide all the nuances of pain and disappointment
underneath the rug
i want to be a good wife
clad in fashionable skirts
and well-kept
juggling a hot sheet of cookies
and a martini as
he walks in the door
finally away
no more
