all I can say is that
cruelty was leaking out of you
but I had no empty buckets
within arms’ reach so I
had to swallow all of it
mouth agape, taking in
hundreds of ounces of
such loathsome stuff
turning myself inside out
to scrub at intervals
hoping I could sleep
underneath your ceiling
without it caving in
waking up with
polystyrene between my teeth
your mistake was believing
that I was the one
making the mess
simply because I could not
house all of it
you were spitting so much
contempt
and I met my body’s limits
so by Sunday, I was swollen
with your nonsense and
I had to purge my hope
to make room for it.