how easy an
engagement ring breaks
on a lover’s frail finger
one day you are wearing it
the next morning it is gone
among the broken stones
the same logic applies
on abandoned homes
the doors let in the storms
the windows welcome the termites
the gates allow the rusts
to settle down and never leave
one day the house stands proud
the following morning
it is washed away by floods
to nowhere
is it because
we find more expensive rings
and sturdier homes --
broken promises of better lives
and so we learn –
rings cannot keep
our fingers from touching
and homes cannot keep us
from moving somewhere else
