Tea Party, 1963

A villanelle

A clean house is the sign of a virtuous woman, they say,

Doubting eyes on the dust bunny under my second-hand chair.

I wonder, what is the sign of a virtuous man?

 

Blush and twitter, apparently there is no such creature.

I smile, and agree, run my hand through the tangles in my hair,

A clean house is the sign of a virtuous woman.

 

Just hours before, hands in my hair and a mouth on my throat,

And clothes, discarded, climbing the stairs.

I wonder what is the sign of a virtuous man.

 

Coffee cups on the nightstand, a half-eaten plum.

Decadence and stale cigarette smoke in the air.

A clean house is the sign of a virtuous woman.

 

Two blocks over, his car hidden in plain sight

Someday he’ll leave her. Someday, he swears.

I wonder what is the sign of a virtuous man.

 

A sip of tea instead of laughter, or tears.

These women, in their best hats, have begun to stare.

A clean house is the sign of a virtuous woman.

I wonder what is the sign of a virtuous man.

 

　

　

　

　

Reviews

[reminder]

I love the intensity and the doubt. The repetition creates an excellent back-drop for the descriptions. Well done!