Letter

[billy]

The door was open each morning when it should have been closed.
You knew how sensitive Stan was.
A simple draft and he'd shake like a slaughterhouse pig. strong similie
I wonder if he knew? Nobody has walls, darling. would quotes or italics make the speech stand out
We think we put them up but we don't.
You'd have your back to me when I'd come in,
pretending to clean plates or darn Lily's socks.
(Who darns socks after breakfast?
I'm genuinely curious.) would italics work better than parenthathingies.

At first I think it was the minute popping of buttons which aroused you.
I had the finest blouse on our street.
Ted was so proud when we went to the pub,
and I ordered a gin while every girl scowled.
Among all the whispers of "how does she dare?"
"with everyone scrimping she shows up in that?"
"Ted must have robbed the post office,"
you looked and sipped your wine,
quietly held by some mystery.

Of course, each time, after I'd sat where Stan had just sat,
you put down a sock or a plate, and turned around,
accessed by that small popping. The silence itself had a charm.
I smoked a cigarette and studied the paneling
like a bored prostitute. I think that was part of the original thrill.
You looked like you'd never seen breasts other than your own before.

Now Stan is dead and the door remains closed.
You gave him the marriage he wanted. Applied lipstick daily,
made meals, accompanied him to the pub now and then,
bore Lily and Daniel, darned Lily's socks, cleaned plates,
and mopped his brow each night near the end.
Now is the time to give me a key.

the narrative is really good, some really good images and the female relationship shine through really strong, i just had a few nits above but the real problems are it's good points. it reads like a short short story more than like a poem, the good thing is, you have all the ingredients here. they just need to be stirred a little; the similes work well but the prose side beats them down a little to hard. enjambment would probably be your best friend in this piece jack. while you have a metaphor with the wall line, i think a couple more would help with any re en-jambing an edit would bring. at present it's a really good piece of prose that's fighting to be a really good poem, but falling short. a small edit will lift it where it needs to be. i did enjoy the read and the POV.
thanks for the read as always.

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a question; why is it called the letter?