I like to have
the last word
To build up to it, state it gently
quietly
a final breath

But it never really is,is it, the last
There’s always something
to add
Someone else
might mutter an aside
or jot a note
or turn off a light and
close a door
And it all becomes part of the story

Even when I argue with you
and I think I’ve made my point
and I’ve summed it all up very nicely
and I think that’s the last I’ll hear of it
I see that lift of your lip, that smirk
from the corner of my eye
And I know that
I can’t have
the last
word