at first
i told myself
it is only the bark
but the bark was the niceties
dressing the core
as it grew
with the niceties
dressing it
year to year
to year
now it would be a seal
on the envelope of the past
uncompromising -
«that's what it was»
/and that's all there is to it/
- not the bark
like i thought all these years
but the growth rings
a vicious circle
is what they would remind me of
so beautiful
like the rings around the neck
of a Ndebele wife
handsome children
grow out of these marriages
or so it is said
i escape
into fragrant teas
documentaries
roaming the backroads
he's got canadian rye
on the counter
in the corner
..maybe
one of these days..