Away in the Woods

A broad hipped, stolid, feminine frame gripped the freshly cleaned wooden threshold
The striking scent of the wood cleaner permeated throughout the room
Signaling the arrival of Saturday morning
But Friday night still loomed on his breath
She steadied her weight onto one knee
And used the beam to gain her balance
Improperly named Opal
He aint find her all that precious
I would have called her Phoenix
Routinely gathering her bearings from the ashes of his late nights and early mornings
And he loved her
Built this house just for them down that narrow, winding dirt road
That cut through the trees, pass the coy pond on the land his daddy left him
Their own little haven of matrimony in the woods
Two hours from her closest relative and three from his
To spend late nights counting the stars on their backs on a palette in the yard
And for her to sharpen her green thumb in the gardens that surrounded
And for him to commence projects that never get finished
No noisy neighbors to disrupt serenity
No nosey neighbors to interrupt his spells
For him to let her know when he is finished
For her to wrap her own broken thumps
Spend frightful nights counting the scars on her back
Two hours from the rescue of relatives
Her own little penitentiary in the woods
Through the trees, pass the coy pond on the land his daddy left him
Down that narrow, winding dirt road
He built this house just for them