Ada(m)

On top of her. She is warm marble. Her white arms parallel to the white basket of her entrails. Her glossy forehead.

A very long time ago, Adam lived on the other side of this ocean. Ada’s body was not really a body. It was Ada.

His wife’s body is a body. It contains his wife’s heart. It contains also a liver and kidneys and their tiny baby is inside her too.

Ada’s stomach contained anxiety and hunger. A hunger for Adam. Ada’s stomach contained Adam’s hunger for Ada.

No, that’s not right.

On top of her. He closes his eyes. She is warm marble.

-

Paul paces back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth with a cigarette hanging from his thick lips. His elegant hands in his pockets. Jocey is in bed. She has a fever and is dreaming of a great white shark swimming alongside her. Slowly swimming. Both creatures – baskets of entrails. Two pin drops seen from up above. One pin larger than the other. One pin warmer than the other.

What is this drift? What is this love?

-

Mama stayed up packing the whole night. She had finished their master bedroom and was packing the living room now. Boxes had been labelled and were moved out front where Daddy’s cousin could get at them in a week.

“Don’t go puttin’ nothin’ in there the coyotes can get to in the middle of the goddamn night Jocey. You being dopey like how you are could goddamn forget somethin’ in there and then Daddy this and Daddy that all week long til we move. You hear me girl?”

I nodded. Daddy was happy. His face was not a face. It was trees, it was Mount Washington, it was red yellow golden brown leaves it was a piece of the Atlantic ocean beating its wave back through his eyes washing up near the cove of his mouth and coming back around.
Mama’s face wasn’t no face neither. When she was angry it looked like Navajo sculpture. Slits for eyes, fire tongue and blackest hair. For rage. For rage.

“Leavin’ my land and goin’ back up the coast to god knows where and leavin’ mama and daddy behind to close up the ranch next year. Fool thinkin’ I had a man at my doorstep”

-

Paul wakes Jocey and kisses her on the mouth. One good fleshy kiss that goes on and on. He’s nervous.

“I have to go out to Charlotte for a few months Jocey. My dad is dying and he told me to settle his affairs. I don’t want to do this but I have to. I’m going down with Scott so he’s covering costs. I said I’d leave you the car here. I know you need it to get down to your mama in Albuquerque if anything happened”

“What short notice. What about the paper here? How long are you going for?”

“Two months. Maybe three. The farm needs selling Joce. I’m wiring pieces. I told Phil you’d go in every few weeks to pick up any news. And anyways, I’m due for a bit of a break. You just finish your work like we said okay? We aren’t finished looking for your break my darling”

-

On top of her. She is cold marble. Ada was never really alive at all.