3 Poems

EMILY AS SHE KNELT IN REFLECTION

and/or present
emily appeared
to be mock-
eating oranges
on the floor
of our bedroom
this morning
& when i asked
her if she was
praying she
said that the last
time she prayed
was with
our children,
no, no no,
she whispered
i was turning
you into the words
i could consume
i was feeding
myself the love
i most want
you to give me
now, leave me
alone, i’m not
quite done yet

3 Poems

EMILY AS I SHOULD HAVE SEPARATED THE LEFTOVERS FROM DINNER

i’m all tethers
all of the time,
but i thought
it would be okay
if i poured
the sauce
& the green beans
& the rice
into the Tupperware
with the chicken
& i was wrong
& i was wrong
& i was made to eat
my wrongness
the next day
which gave her
real, actual joy

EMILY AS THERE ARE CRIMINALS INSIDE THE HOUSE TOO

i was trying to make a point
& yes, that makes this poem
a confession of sorts,

but for the life of me
i can’t remember what started
this argument that ended

with me listing all of the times
i’ve been questioned by the police
without being put in the car