Tears and yelling
Big, raging steps
His hand spilling my bottle
of ink

The thunderous sound of the door
slamming and the silence after it

Chest pain

One hundred failed attempts to write
mediocre poetry
Red lipstick on dry lips
Untouched meals and empty beer cans

A baseball bat
A cracked windshield
And a neighbor pinning me down

More tears

And the taste of asphalt
and defeat.