coffee trips
and trips over the stair.
count three, not two and blame the painter.
she added an extra coat to disguise what was once there

in letters and

words alone,
and alone for Christ’s sake.
note a one in three
and tell a lie to strengthen the hand

like,

“dimes saved,
save for two weeks.
suffer for a few scenes of pride
and pay for it later.”

but,

play on.
and on the eve,
watch the parallels converge and marry.
she’ll add an extra coat to disguise her own affair.