Two by two in the ark of
the ache of it
~Denise Levertov, “The Ache of Marriage”
i. Game
Maji’s rare gem.
Gaia’s aim.
I’m game.
Marriage gigs me,
a gar. Rigs
a marge-merge.
Grammar agrees:
are > am.
I am a Mr.’s.
A Mrs.
An eager aerie.
Egg era, air rare,
ere marriage’s agar
gags me, rears
a gamey germ.
ii.Arms
Marriage arms
a grim regime.
A MIG aims,
maims me; gamma
rams me. REM
MIA, I rage.
Ire mires
ears’ gears. Marriage’s
rager ages me:
I’m a meme’s meager gram.
Air’s ream.
Age’s mare.
Mirage’s émigré.
iii. Reimage
I err.
Mar me.
I rear a rag.
A rim rearms.
I reimage me
mega, magma.
Mea, amie.
mere rare me.
Karen Holmberg’s award-winning poetry collections are The Perseids and Axis Mundi. A young adult novel, The Collagist, is forthcoming from Fitzroy/Regal House in 2024. She teaches at Oregon State University. We welcome reader letters. Email High Country News at editor@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Mirage of Marriage.
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