My Ex and I Empty the Storage Unit
A poem by Diane Elayne Dees

My Ex and I Empty the Storage Unit

Across the street from a graveyard,
the building, with its rows of dark green
vaults, reminds me of a morgue.
Inside our space, my wedding dress lies
in a long box covered by an old sheet—
a simple, inelegant casket.
We load it, along with all the bins
and boxes, into his car, and drive
to my house, a house we once shared.
Something perverse in me
wants to open the box, unwrap
the tissue, and take one last look
at this most delicate of costumes
But I leave the lid on, alert my charity
of choice, place the box on my porch,
and proceed with the errands of the day.
When I return, the porch is clear,
the casket has been carried away.
Some time in the not too distant future,
a petite woman in a well-cut vintage dress
will walk down a flower-adorned aisle,
and say vows. And while a dry cleaner
will have removed any remaining vestige
of my cells, both my ambivalence
and my hope will cling to her skin
as she glides into the unknown.

About the Author:

Diane Elayne Dees is the author of the chapbooks, Coronary Truth (Kelsay Books), The Last Time I Saw You (Finishing Line Press), and The Wild Parrots of Marigny (Querencia Press). Diane, who lives in Covington, Louisiana, also publishes Women Who Serve, a blog that delivers news and commentary on women’s professional tennis throughout the world. Her author blog is Diane Elayne Dees: Poet and Writer-at-Large.

author blog: https://dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/

tennis blog: https://womenwhoserve.blogspot.com/

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