Lovers, Bedpans and Skunks

by Anna Ruiz

John says he loves me more than the bedpan
I am carrying
Tim is calling me his Lover
asking me to go to him
as if he were the Beloved.
Last night
I dreamed of puppy dogs
and giant dogs as big as any horse.
I dreamed of secret rooms
and neighbors from whom I
no longer can hide.
Just then
the village skunk passed by my house,
a bit more slowly this year
with his own
sure sign of Spring.
Just yesterday I wrote
there is only one Lover
who knows us through and through,
calls us from our deepest sleep,

I awaken filled with Myself.