She left everything open—
windows, doors, drawers, cabinets,
the little cap on the tube of toothpaste,
letting the air in, letting the bugs in, letting
everything in—while he, on the other hand,

was a firm believer in twisties
and double knots, double bagging and double
checking to make sure the door was
double locked. You could say
she trusted while he trussed. He wanted

to bind her to him, with that wedding band
on the one hand; on the other, she wanted
to keep their relationship open. “The heart
must remain open, ” she said. He closed
his eyes and exhaled miserably. “And where

does that leave us?” he asked, and opened
his eyes and saw that she was sitting
close to him on the couch, her mouth slightly
open, as if to say “kiss me” without saying it.

Paul Hostovsky