This Morning

I looked into my roommate’s bedroom—on her

pillow, on the wood floor, in her trashcan there was

vomit. It struck me that the entire house seemed

calm.  Our aprons were still hanging in the kitchen. 

The throw blankets were still folded into a pile of

rectangles on the edge of the couch. Morning light

mixed with the scene.  I couldn't imagine 

waking to this, with the whole house so incredibly
orderly, then leaving only to come back 

to the stench after work. I don't know how to tell

her that the bottle of wine in the kitchen trashcan,
or the man she had over last night
can’t solve things.

When the Earth Tilts and the Snow Comes

Death and taxes are hardly the

cracking truth of 

life. After the ice broke, I was alone.  

I latched onto tidy little one-liners

like the rest of humanity.  But Benjamin 

I’m breathless in the white blur. Rough skin 

forms on my uncertainties. 

snow

when the snow poured from the sky

more intimately

than I could stand

he told me that he loved peanut butter

I blushed.  I couldn't tell him

the truth.

I needed him

        to be more honest.

                  I needed him.

I straightened up.  My room 

was spotless. My hair 

was flattened.  My teeth: sparkling.  

I got all all I wanted. Rigor mortis and

fucking A’s across the board.