Wife of Noah
The sons of God saw that the daughters of men
were beautiful, and they married any they chose.
i
Beneath a searing, white-eyed sky
her husband bustles like a bee
froth in his beard, dust in his eyes
hammering, honing, back muscles bobbing
a sea of sweat spilling from his pores
At night, he comes between her sheets
exhausted, effete, skin still salted
the brine of devotion
ii
Her silent tears turn torrential
forty days of piss and shit
squealing pigs, rats and worms
a menagerie of screaming
beasts, vomit in their fur
iii
When seas retreat, doors fall open
animals emerge: her husband, her sons
kneel among the hungry herd
bless the ground, praise the lord
dance among the flopping fish
Alone, she sees a world of mud
an ocean of sludge, no dry wood
not a stick for soup
Poetry South, 2009
