by Bill Keller
I drop the pair, still dripping,
into the rack, careful to
turn one edgewise, so that
they won’t do what they like
*
to do — embrace (good for
efficient use of space
but not for drying).
I don’t want to discover,
*
later, as I toss them
into the drawer,
a secret between curves
so closely matched there
*
wasn’t space for air.
A shift, and the sideways bowl
backs into the other.
Could it have been pulled?
*
If the soft belly, the eyes,
are on the concave side,
which bend protects?
Which needs protection more?
*
Look close — you’ll see a haze
of nicks from knives and forks
and a crick in the neck
that complicates the fit.
+
Long days and fate,
relentless, take a toll.
This night is short.
Let them have it all.
