Joan Colby- A Poem

TELLING LIES

You weren’t from Alaska. You never
Outran a Kodiak bear. There wasn’t
A film test or a record deal. You couldn’t
Even sing that well. Your eyes weren’t
Really blue, more of a green like poison
Or swamp water. You didn’t have
A brother who died in ‘Nam. Your name wasn’t
Jack. The ring wasn’t a real
Diamond. The paper with the vows
Went up in flames. It wasn’t your beloved dog,
Just one you found, not your car either
That I drove away
Through Wyoming with the Shepherd,
Hanging out the window, fixed on
Wherever we were going.