please
engage me with your eyes
and not a complicit ring on that finger
because somnambulant pride is really dribble drabble
a complete waster
my slippery digits dousing discount dishes
warm and pruned
check once and twice for leftover pieces
clasping wanting wares of a finished meal
your legs bend and bicker with squeaky sneakers and dirty laces
a-line body leaning against my kitchen counter
verbal nuances zig and zag from your mouth
so cavernous on the good days
and tightly pressed on the bad
Desperate to keep them busy
I dip my hand deep into a sink filled with cleaned silver
and pretend as though there is more to be found
by the plug I will not pull
because then i would dry them
and have to face you
show you my expression of a deeply disgraceful sadness
please don't stand there looking at me with those liquid eyes
they write about in novels
you have to leave me here and alone
because i don't have the strength to be your woman.
About Me
- JJ Ina Steeves
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- JJ Ina Steeves is an emerging artist & writer living in the port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She spends far too much time wandering the city's streets, rereading her favorite novels, and drinking coffee with friends. Early mornings and late nights are her most productive times, while afternoons find her napping on her red sofa, sprawled in the sunbeam she lovingly named 'Jeremiah' after a sailer she met long ago.