I want to say divine—probably because

The first time that I saw her she was bathed

In golden light against a colonnade

At the Met’s temple of the goddess Isis.

The vision was purely theatrical—

Tom’s party-planners doing their paid magic.

But even tricks bestow a sense of wonder.

I watched him climb the temple steps to join her.

They were magnificent, and utterly

Asexual. They seemed like seraphim

Who had transcended bodily desire.

Their love, so eminently evident,

Expressed in warmth and courteous attention.

I was a caveman staring at the stars.

III.

After they married, I saw less of Tom—

The occasional lunch or cocktail party.

Eden was always gracious. So was he,

But his success took all his time to manage,

Not just his business but his boards and charities.

Then suddenly the invitations stopped.

I didn’t feel insulted or surprised.

I had expected such a break for years.

I barely had a life. Tom had it all.

Later I read his firm had been shut down.

I figured Tom had cashed out and retired,

Still young enough to sail around the world,

Climb Everest, or whatever it is

Ex-CEOs do with their portfolios—

An afterlife of private jets and yacht clubs.

One night I found myself at the St. Regis.

I’d made another unsuccessful pitch

Over a dinner I could not afford—

My shabby life about to crash again.

Angry, depressed, I lurched into the bar.

There at a table, by herself, sat Eden.

She wore a silver-sequined evening gown

And held a glass of wine between her hands.

She didn’t drink but rolled it back and forth,

Staring at the bright murals on the wall.

Seeing her there gave me a twinge of joy.

“What a surprise to find you here,” I said,

Acting as if I came there every night.

“Waiting for Tom?” She barely raised her eyes,

Looking at me as if I were a stranger.

“No,” she said, after a pause. “Not for Tom.

There was a benefit upstairs. I needed air.”

Then came another pause. “Didn’t you know?

Tom and I are not together now.”

I probably should have left her at that point,

But I’m not skilled in social situations,

And so I simply blurted out, “What happened?”

She turned the glass around again and told me.

IV.

“About three years ago, Tom became ill.

The doctors couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

He was in constant pain, but he insisted,

‘We won’t let this condition slow us down.

It’s just another problem to be solved.’

We both knew he was good at solving problems.

But month by month, the symptoms got much worse.

The doctors offered different diagnoses.

They gave him drugs, more drugs, then radiation.

If it had only been the pain, I think

We would have made it through this trial together,

But something unexpected happened to him.

His looks began to change. His face puffed up.