Eloise Klein Healy

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The Elements

Fire for anger, water for change,
earth for stability, wind−well,
who knows what wind is about?

In life, they mix so. Like that day,
I was taking a shower
with my lover and she told me

she was sleeping with
her ex-lover again. Wasn´t
a fire supposed to leap

out of me, or wasn´t water
there to drown the flames,
or wash her clean of betrayal?

Wasn´t the hillside out the window
there to settle me, inform me
of the underlying design
and long term balance in things?

Wasn´t some wind going to blow
those words away and leave us
soapy and sweet smelling

in that shower, just about to
towel off, have a drink,
cook dinner and read a little?

Wasn´t my love for her supposed to mean
I could step into the same river
over and over again?

Copyright 2007 University of Nebraska Press. All rights reserved.