Mosquito ticks against a glass,
no syrup had she slurped.
She slips against the cold rim last;
before she drowned, she burped.
Refrigerator festers with molded
Jam; berries mashed in fuzz.
The eggs all sit in sulfur folds;
the flies have lost their buzz.
Slipped inside Egyptian sheets,
he tells her: it’s not
you.
She sniffs her tears, saltysweet;
watches herself unglue.
The public pool sinks
with leaves
chlorine lingers stale.
Orangey rust smothers swings,
a football finds a nail.
Cigarettes stained with lipsticks smear
library pristine cement.
The neighbors and the city fear
to watch their world ferment.
