A Room In Someone Else's House

Locked inside a room

in someone else's house.
Shouts about the
same 'ol issue from yesterday.

A house, family to live inside it. Wishes.
In aisles, collecting dishes, eyeing
cherry wood finishes for furnishing,
looking down in the cart at the tiny

Protect Me Until

Place your
hands over my eyes
until it stops;
until knives stop coming
with sharp points,
until bullets stop calling
for those not ready to answer,
until legs know only to walk
and not beat through
body bones, skulls,

Mind, Unstimulated

Different people but
same conversations,
thinking about
things the same,
viewpoint doesn’t stand
the chance of change,

After College

Praises for being the first,
making life after required
education mean something. I
dreamed something prior.
Nine semesters of borrowing
to write, read, then exiting
with no escape from the
field of retail. Same dreams and
not living yet, not on my own

Let Me Down

Haven't had the unfortunate

experience but I get the people
living it, roaming through the aisles
with styling on their minds,
removing hangers from racks
as they search their memories
for items already in their closets.