there was still intercourse--
sexual & also some
verbal--
but that privileged feeling
of being teamed
with another problem drinker
was gone

we were in Texas

the only place we'd live

& it was a solstice or
whenever it is
humans can witness

an egg standing on end

& we had an egg out on
a sidewalk of the apartment
complex we shared with
other drunks & gamblers

& she had her red
plastic cup of wine &
sipped & reported
the passage of time
on her wrist as my thumb
& finger prepared to let
the egg go

with 10 seconds left she
counted down playfully
& then

at our moment

I did my
share & the egg did
what eggs do
most any time of year
& for some reason I felt
relieved

we both might have
laughed out loud:
screwed again by

the world

then she tried

& failed

& we both kept trying
while that egg refused stillness
& time
eased toward standing
between us