Afternoon Naked in Bed

She lay there
nude with her
breasts slopping lazily
over her ribs and her belly soft
her face turned toward the windows
covered by sheer cloth
billowing from small breezes
one hand behind her head
the other smoothing the sheet next to her
naked body
where
not too long ago
he had lain
warm and good and dear.

All her memories arose and convened
with all her hopes and she
felt again as though she were
in the witness box
and a faceless jury watched and wrote
and she did not know the
verdict.
The sheet was cool beneath her
and the air felt fresh on her skin
and she could hear her own breath
in and out
the walls sank into themselves
and up she went into the hum
of judgment
forgetting altogether
which pronouncement
she preferred to receive.