Still groggy from sleeping pills
I grab a towel and the 3 in 1
Then stumble down the hall
To the community shower of
The old boarding house.
I knock. No answer.
I put the key in the lock.
Push.
The door is locked from the inside.
I knock.
"HEY! SOMEBODY IN THERE??"
no answer.
Push.
"*******!..."
Someone probably sleeps in the tub.
I'll have to drive across town
To my ma's house.
Make an excuse to drop by.
"By the way...you think I can take a quick shower?..."
Still groggy from sleeping pills
I start up the Chevy
"Big Mama" I call her.
She is ***** and sometimes unreliable.
That's why we get along.
I knock on ma's door.
No answer.
I try my key.
Push.
It opens.
I strip down in the bathroom
I don't even need flip flops for this
Shower.
There are a dozen rubber ducks in the tub.
My kid sisters.
I decide that I should not cover them
With my filth.
I line them up along the ***** tub edges.
I turned the HOT up all the way
It burned the way I like.
I started thinking about
Love.
Where had it gone?
I used it like an old toothbrush before
Now, I would sell world peace for it.
What had I done wrong with the last one?
I heard something fall into the tub behind me.
3 rubber ducks.
2 dressed like chickens and 1 like a unicorn.
"Too chicken to be unique?"
I remembered never enjoying the time I spent with the last woman.
I always felt like I was fighting to keep her around.
I was hardly ever myself.
Then 3 more ducks fell into the tub.
A Lion, a Queen, and a cat.
The quiet life I craved.
The small family that I had failed to keep before.
Maybe the ex died and was sending me a message.
Maybe it was just those ******* Sleep pills.
Then another duck fell into the tub.
A pilgrim?
I guess it all meant
Nothing at all...
I stepped out of the shower
Stared into the mirror.
I smiled.
The face looked less ugly this time
And more like an interesting
Abstract painting
"Hmm..."
I opened the door
Prepared to conquer
A new world.