RIFKAH GOLDBERG

SCRABBLE IN THE KITCHEN Two months, day and night He stood over her Sinking into the sheets In cold hospital beds Watching intently Her closed heavy eyes Until they struggled open To notice his faithfulness Straining to hear her requests That three bottles of perfume Were superfluous here Look yet again for the tooth picks Should take more care of himself Shield his eyes with sunglasses During the day not towards night Can take off his cap when inside Now facing each other again Over a game of scrabble On the shaky kitchen table Is curlew a word -- a brownish bird? Uses most of his letters Her vivid blue eyes Look fondly at him Across the years Once met them Under one umbrella Eating ice cream In the pouring rain This is the simple stuff Many find so complicated That has kept them together For over half a century 1999