So Many Poems

[lonerlittleme]

"When Cleaning Off Stains in the Bathroom"

I wake up.

Tabasco's poured all over me
From my poor peacoat with stains
From every food except peas;
Ice cream and tabasco sauce.

Tabasco's red and slimy.
It gets in you.
It leaves yellow cigarette stains
And reminds me of my mother's
Miserable, companionable habit.
What a sickening smell, but there is
A distant comfort in retching to it
Found in the utter lack of companion
To pull your hair back.

My hair is dripping slimy,
Sickening quick Tabasco red
And cigarette yellow stains.

I retch. It's the most beautiful thing ever.

My hair is dripping slimy,
Brown on black, black on brown.
Brown on black on black on brown on black and brown.
I frown.

I am the most beautiful thing ever. I, wretch.

I am, right down to the tiny yellow white circles
That make their home in my hair, floating there,
Nestled in my scalp. It's sickeningly lovely. Lovely.
My hair floats up (Up!) and away.

Well, everything's a circle.
I stare into the glass that looks back
Through two. I stare at the tiny yellow white
Circles as I scratch and pick them out of my hair.
My scalp! My floating hair.

My eyes.
They look human. There can't be a soul in there.
Oh, but there must. There must.
Are you sure?
There must be someone screaming inside.
There must be someone screaming inside.
Are you sure?
There must be someone screaming inside.
There must be someone screaming inside.

The Tabasco still stains my skin
A cigarette yellow from the white yellow
In my hair.
There's someone in there.
Down to the circles and outside this glass and
The yellow white tiles surrounding me.
Someone is there.