The Chair and the Coat
Every evening when he came in from work
He’d hang his coat over the bare shoulders
Of the chair opposite the chair he liked
To sit in to eat his supper. The chair
Hadn’t said anything about being cold,
But it wore the coat all night anyway.
In the morning before he left for work,
He’d take the coat from off the bare shoulders
Of the chair. The chair hadn’t said anything
About being a little warm, but it let him
Take the coat nonetheless, and stood there
Naked all day, feeling perfectly comfortable.
The chair was just not all that particular
About this coat, despite the fact that it seemed
Always to be putting it on and taking it off.
Until the morning the man didn’t come downstairs.
Then the chair wore the coat for days, like someone
Who’s burning up but insists they’re freezing.