Marriage

Tom Daley

Across the way, a loose
piece of sheet metal
in a neighbor’s
air conditioner
has been banging all night.

You came home late
and would not speak to me.

I woke up at 3 and read Hopkins
until I fell back to sleep.

They say some who come
from broken homes
take on the marriage project
because they want
to get it right.

This morning, fog
fills the trees
already heavy
with the loneliness
of midsummer birds.

Please—no bended knee.

Just say that part
about in sickness and in health
without drooping
your shoulders
and closing all
the windows.