Published 2016
The Southampton Review
Things like sofas and chairs we bought new
rugs too—except for that old sisal runner
I nailed to the stairs so the kids wouldn’t slip
spending $500 on a vintage velvet wingback we tried
in three spots before returning…the long brown hard
couch was also probably a mistake though
we made it work
things we had doubles of we simply used
both– chef’s knives, wine glasses, dessert plates,
cereal bowls, what didn’t mix or match
we alternated
the cutlery alone jumbled together, thrown in
a too-small drawer, spoons and forks mismatched so
they refused to nest one atop another, tangling
tumbling scratching instead
we used it all, sitting on this and sipping
from that and laughing living pretending we were
cereal bowls, likely knowing we were cutlery