Affair
Katy Whittingham

A steady and appropriate hatred,
part of someone else,
yet as true and as startling
as a hidden birthmark.
It has never felt so feverish
to wash off your easy body,
while fighting back
the strange smells and sounds;
the outside is swelling.
It would be better to stay here,
sliding down the shower wall,
fitting into the contoured floor,
asking yourself with some immediacy,
did the door really just open wider,
does his dog really have a limp?

Return to Archive