Thresholds have never been what you’d call safe
And over the years, the rituals have gotten silly
(after all, the phrase ‘swept off her feet’ only make sense
Where a certain kind of force is called a ‘bridal carry’).
And love (well, trust) creaks open old wood with or without
Oil. You thought this was going to be a romance?
A little too much experience here for that —
You have to know where to knock to find the hollows.
As for this old portal, well: There’s even a little scroll
at an angle in a small metal box on the lintel as a ward;
Characters in Hebrew invoking prayers the owner of the house
Has long since forgotten and had no faith in to begin with.
Nevertheless, the way your heart sagged off its hinges
Was unexpected. The wrecked paint and warp and waste…
The smashed lock. I think, in my haste, I forgot:
Thresholds have never been what you’d call safe.