-for my husband

I have climbed you like a flagpole
       and left you at half-mast.
I have run roughshod over you
       then begged for more.
I have cracked you like a safe
       and looted all that I could carry
I have cried on your shoulder
       and hung you out to dry.
You are Everest to my Mariana Trench,
       a matchstick to my bonfire. 
I duck when you deluge
       and squint when you shine.
You mean the world to me—
       how could it be otherwise?

*after Alicia Ostriker