deringer, like the pistol.

for the purposes of clarity
and transparency
(which mean the same thing, when speaking of water,
but are different enough to list,
when speaking of words between lovers)

...so for those purposes, and so that we
can be in agreement about the kind of life this will be
i tell you this --
the moment I knew for sure
that you were the man I would grow old with
was across a table at biscuit world in west virginia
me wearing your giant wool hat, with my feet in your lap
and a strange meat platter in front of me
i was woozy, you were tired, and still we were grinning.

with a little biscuit in your mouth you said,
darlin, you're beautiful.
do you want to go to the taxidermy shop?

and if there had been a ring hidden
inside of my square hash browns
it would have been a done deal.