what are we going to do with ourselves when we are gone

bless the plums that roll under my bed,

for the rot and the gnats who love a good feast

as we eat breakfast in the morning like everyone else

the neighbors below us hum

and by the way the floor creaks we know the house

is swelling

the pink silk outside their kitchen,

racing to shut the window tight

as we lean close and they talk low about what comes next

today we will do our laundry and

your mother will call

she will not tell you she is proud, she has not for a long time

you wept so loud the neighbors must’ve heard you

you wept so loud, when i woke the neighbors baked a cake

the fruit trees sing and you are able to hum along

i stay up all night with the cat, ready for the next thing

and when i awoke there was so much light this morning, it was hard to sleep