Skating on Thin Ice
Do you really want to know the answer?
We sit across the table from each other
connecting over cauliflower
the last slab of halloumi
examining how her work has
crept up again like a stalker
from hour hours to six, to ten.
These are the nimble conversations
where any couple can falter.
Skills of a mountain goat
the speed of a ninja would be handy
but there’s an old stone already
hanging in the air from past talks
& it only moves in circles. What can I say
she doesn’t already know? How tired I am
of hearing endless regurgitations
reflecting perfectionism & low self-worth.
There’s an oil slick at the side of the
table & plenty of tinder. All it requires
is a small word, a slight spark for conflagration.
There are a thousand ways we betray ourselves.
How little we want reminding from our partner.
Copyright Simon Heathcote
