Either they’ve got nothing in the box
or the postman hasn’t been.
He rides a folding bicycle,
unreliable

Bob stands at the window
chewing a broken toothpick
while Alice queries which it is
& which is better

the confirmation of emptiness
like a person standing in water
waiting for the floods to dry,
because a boat is ordinary

or the resolution that
emptiness can be filled with anything
a flyer on losing weight
an overdue bill

like plugging up the holes between them
with a stale piece of cake
left in the pockmarked tin

the day is portioned and
they’ve only reached
the halfway mark

walking back inside she notices
the garden is unkempt
the deck needs propping up
& recognises
what she’s been waiting for

either an invitation to remain
or permission to depart