The last quarrel
Poor fools. Lovers, husband and wife,
Best friends, they were everything,
And of course everything included their
Quarrels because this was real life, not
Some poem or other. “This is it!” she shouted,
Or he did. “This is the end!” But of course
Because they were lovers, husband and wife,
Best friends, they made up, and he or she
Came back to bed, or made coffee, or
Some such thing. But the last quarrel was with
Life. “This is it,” his heart said, “this is
The end.” And she, poor fool, thought
Because we are lovers, husband and wife,
Best friends, he will stop being dead,
He’ll get over it, we’ll make up again.
Poor fool.
Ann Palmer