unusual circumstance...

underneath it all was an anger. laced, like eyelashes,
long and lean, frayed endpoints.
deteriorating,
picked at & pulled. hanging, like
sinew, in strips
from the old,
weathered bone.

House went silent again, pulled inward. Dog hid under the bed and licked at her toes, feigning disinterest. nothing else happened. [i promise].

in addition:

there was no cake.
there was no ice cream.
there were no rabbits or celery,
paper or pens.

nothing was documented.

years later, after House had
burned and the children
had gone away, it would remain
as it had been originally, a

~he.said~she.said~kind of thing~


(mirroring countless
other arguments to soft
to be had).





her mother always said:
"if it's not ticks, you can bet your behind that it's fleas!"

"well momma," she thought to herself, "take a big ol' look at me now."