Only the fifth husband, I remain first
in the heart of my seasoned beloved,
oft-widowed and sobered by struggle
yet every bit as busty and lusty,
a sexpot squarely in estrus
now flouncing and skirling
amid a tub overflowing with suds
fragrant and bubbly as we lather and stroke,
exulting in the commingling of our waters.

In our blissful, post-coital languor, privately
I admire her sense of sovereignty
and dominance despite her being illiterate
and half deaf, a siren as headstrong as blessedly
lecherous, her reticulate fingers catching
the small of my back in affinal embrace.

Woe to the foe of a woman so formidable,
who fries her enemies in their own grease,
a counterpoise and more to any lothario
on the make, more merry and libertine
even than those one third her age.
I like the feeling of her girth on me,
a warmth and weight redolent of fidelity;
I love that she doesn’t mind overly much
when I splash her face to keep her from snoring.

BRANDON MARLON is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his B.A. in Drama & English from the University of Toronto and his M.A. in English from the University of Victoria. His poetry was awarded the Harry Hoyt Lacey Prize in Poetry (Fall 2015), and his writing has been published in 250+ publications in 28 countries. http://www.brandonmarlon.com

Copyright © 2018 by Brandon Marlon. All rights reserved.