Work Text:
Wife
Am I more than a face to you?
More than ample hips, plush thighs and moist secret spaces,
Am I more than my gender?
If I was not here would you miss me, mourn me, remember me?
Or would you move on to the next set of gentle features,
Curved limbs and long eyelashes?
What colour is the skin in the hollow of my throat,
How does my sweat taste from the curve of my back,
Are my eyes blue or brown -
If I wasn’t here would you still know?
Am I irreplaceable or interchangeable with someone else
Who’s hands are softer, smile is whiter, lips are fuller;
Someone who is more perfect.
If I stayed perfectly still would you watch me disappear
Just crumble to dust before your eyes and dissolve in the wind;
A marble statue worn down to smooth, indistinct features
Perfect and imperfect, pale and without remark,
Worn down to soft curves and bland lines,
Forgettable.
If I stayed perfectly still would I still be worth your adoration,
Your attention?
If I stayed perfectly still would I still be your wife?