……… Alone together a moment
on the twenty-second anniversary
……… of their wedding
he clasped her as she stood
……… at the sink, pressing
into her backside, rubbing his cheek
……… against the stubble
of her skull. He gave her a ring
……… of pink tourmaline
with nine small diamonds around it.
……… She put it on her finger
and immediately named it Please Don’t Die.
……… They kissed and Jane
whispered, “Timor mortis conturbat me.”
by Donald Hall
from Without
Mariner Books, 1999