He gave me a ring With its facets glazed and cracked Insisting it was once his great-grandmother's She who In rot-edged vintage photos Wore a mink stole and flapper beads. _____________
She pulls at seams Takes up and brings down hems, The stole pushed to the back Of a web festooned attic In a steamer trunk slapped with decals: Moscow Austria Monte Carlo Rio de Janeiro. On cold days she wears it again Dancing to old melodies on rough boards And when she hears the front door slam It's made to disappear in haste, Her engagement ring clacking Against the trunks flip locks. That night as she makes biscuits For her breadwinner she sees The crack, the chip Through a glaze of milked flour.