Sonnets From Other Lives: Charlotte

He would call one mountain Komo Kulshan.
He called the other one Tahoma.
One time we were driving to the ocean
& stopped & had some breakfast in Tacoma
& he told me that he would only use old names.
Just because Vancouver drew the maps…
Who the hell was Rainer anyway?
Three years & I never saw a lapse.
He was like that—sticking to a thing—
that weekend it rained three days and nights.
I slept in the car, but no not him.
Somewhere in there we had our first fight.
Three years was enough. I had to go.
Still use native names for mountains though.