Here’s what I’ve got, the reasons why our marriage

关于我们婚姻，可能靠谱的理由

might work: Because you wear pink but write poems

我想到了这些：因为你喜欢穿粉色衣服，却写着

about bullets and gravestones. Because you yell

关于子弹和墓碑的诗。因为你在找不到钥匙时，

at your keys when you lose them, and laugh,

就大声喊它们回来，被自己的幽默

loudly, at your own jokes. Because you can hold a pistol,

逗得哈哈大笑。因为你能握住手枪，

gut a pig. Because you memorize songs, even commercials

给猪开膛。因为你能记住歌曲，甚至是三十年前的广告歌，

from thirty years back and sing them when vacuuming.

在吸尘时唱出来。你的手很柔软。因为当我们搬家时，

You have soft hands. Because when we moved, the contents

你在盒子的内壁上列出打包的东西。

of what you packed were written inside the boxes.

因为你认为对天鹅的赞誉言过其实。

Because you think swans are overrated.

因为你开车送我去火车站。你开车送我去

Because you drove me to the train station. You drove me

明尼阿波利斯。你开车送我去普罗维登斯。

to Minneapolis. You drove me to Providence.

因为你给读过的每一页都划下划线，圈出

Because you underline everything you read, and circle

你认为重要的东西，并在

the things you think are important, and put stars next

你认为我应该认为重要的东西旁边加星星，

to the things you think I should think are important,

在边缘记下所有惹你生气的人，

and write notes in the margins about all the people

而我的名字几乎从未出现在其中。

you’re mad at and my name almost never appears there.

因为你做出那道

Because you make that pork recipe you found

在弗里达·卡罗食谱中找到的猪肉菜。

in the Frida Kahlo Cookbook. Because when you read

因为当你读那篇关于里尔克的文章时，

that essay about Rilke, you underlined the whole thing

你把几乎全篇都都划了线，

except the part where Rilke says love means to deny the self

除了里尔克说爱的意义是否定自我

and to be consumed in flames. Because when the lights

并被火焰吞噬的那部分。因为当灯关掉，

are off, the curtains drawn, and an additional sheet is nailed

窗帘拉上，还有一张额外的床单钉在

over the windows, you still believe someone outside

窗户上时，你仍然相信外面有人

can see you. And one day five summers ago,

能看到你。还有五个夏天前的某一天，

when you couldn’t put gas in your car, when your fridge

当你无法给车加油，你的冰箱

was so empty—not even leftovers or condiments—

空空如也——连剩饭或调料都没有——

there was a single twenty-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew,

只有一瓶二十盎司的激浪，

which you paid for with your last damn dime

你用最后一分钱买下它，

because you once overheard me say that I liked it.

因为你曾无意中听到我说喜欢它。