While Away
When the satellite signal berserks, the conversations
Begin. Today’s devotional: Windex scattershot, ecstatic
Gasp of the punctured cat food tin. It seems everything
Within earshot has something to say. The linoleum unpeels
Itself, an obscene gesture clearly meant for the wood floor
Gloating in the hallway. The hallway, a throat choked with
Orchid & its own wool tongue. The orange peels & cayenne
Drop a dime on the cat. The pink of the disposable razor ignites
An unwinnable debate with the pangs of pocketchange
Loose in the dryer. The shower curtain remembers
Then forgets to hide the clawfeet, then chucks its rings
Into the tub like breadcrumbs, like laughter.
Broil is the oven’s only talent. It’s silk when I slip
My hands into that heat, like testing a stocking for holes.
Well what do you expect when you give a house a name?
Let’s review: first, I am redundant with bleach. Next,
The gutters are drunk again. Finally, even the wildlife
Know better than to put a lock on something
Made of glass. When your kiss turns
Lemon-fresh, I will know to wipe you clean.
