she gave the bed to goodwill
two men took it away
in the back of a yellow truck
helping the handicapped help themselves
written on the side
it was a big bed
queen size
procrustes
stretched her on his rack
to make her fit
some days she found the bed too small
and she would find pieces of her body on the floor
procrustes trimmed her overhanging limbs
when required
near the end
the bed got so high
she couldn't see the floor
stepping out into the cold air of the bedroom
was a leap of desperation
though some would call it faith
now she sleeps alone
in a prettier bed of cherry
finely turned and carved
she is still intimate with the ceiling tiles
and the wallpaper grows more spirited as it fades
procrustes has gone away
sometimes she finds his cruel instruments of adjustment
in the pockets of old clothes
she touches them
with unaccountable pleasure