him in the iced-over dirt,
she knows it will be some
distance before she can speak

again. She takes a last look
back at the frozen landscape.
This was where the love took place,

the kisses, the late-night talks
that stretched out and doubled
back until they turned into arguments

about soap and remotes and everything
else that wasn’t about how they just
didn’t love anymore. But it’s hard

to drop a thing when it’s all that is filling
your hand, and you can stand your life
having corners and walls, and even

an electric fence can seem normal
if you teach your fingers
where they shouldn’t touch.