Missing You Like a Woman Misses Her House
When She’s Been Away Too Long

Love,
I miss you
like a woman misses her house
when she has been away
too long.

I see the bright sun
in my kitchen and want
to light the fire
in the hearth,
cook with butter,
onions,
and fragrant spices
to fill myself up
with the thought
of coming home
to you.

It is time to wash
the sheets and hang
the comforter out in the wind
while I sweep and mop
the floors,
polish the windows,
and water the thirsty plants.

I can feel my fingers
deep in the dirt outside
in my flower beds
as I make way
for the roots
of coral colored petals
and the promise of
the nodding bonnets
of dragon lilies.

Let me brush the cobwebs
from the tendrils at my neck
and dust my skin and lips
with soothing ointments.

The door is unlocked.

The candles are lit.

The table is set
for a small, quiet supper
of longing.