Literary Liaisons

Literary Liaisons

When he tells his wife that he's going
to the Library, he doesn't say that
it's the name of a gentlemen's club

where he studies the slinking gyrations
of Jasmine Joys, reads the curves
of Virgin Wolf, and researches the confused

stare of Teaser Eliot while they write
their literature onto a mirrored runway
with the nibs of five-inch stiletto heels.

Yet, he finds it odd when she says that she's
going to the library and applies a fresh layer
of mascara, then leaves in her lowest-cut dress,

and returns five hours later cradling
a taxidermy text. She's never shown
an interest in that discipline.