A Will

[Lykren]

The effort equalled
dead affection. No more silverware
to turn in one's fingers
wishing away the tarnish.
It had been taken.
By the dog outside
the linen lay in boxes.
It had been taken.

Instinct took some time
to realize
the stove would not light.
It was ticking
we were staring
we turned it off.
Heavy and old
and broken
it could not be taken away
but remained.

[cafolini]

This is a nice write about the cold end of a relationship. I would replace the "but" in the last line with an "and."

[Lykren]

Thanks for reading and posting cafolini. I actually intended it to be about people distributing the contents of a will (see title) but I suppose a break-up is fine too.

Not so sure about that 'and'. I feel that 'but' emphasizes the exceptional quality of the stove, as compared with the silverware and the linen.