by Rochelle Ratner
She's left him. Left him with nothing more than the
kitchen sink and a pair of pants. The sink is useless.
All he ever learned to do was boil water, and before
they married he threw out all the dirty dishes. They'd
pick up coffee from a drive-thru on the way to work.
He stares at his pants, forlornly. Remembers once
spilling coffee on his pants and, the next morning,
she made him take them off before they reached the
window. His boxers also. He remembers her leaning
across his naked thighs as she reached to hand the
money to the teenage girl at the counter, her large
breasts dangling ever so close to him, the scent of
shampoo still in her hair. He looks down at his pants
again. He decides to take them off and drive up for
coffee. But it's not the same.
Rochelle Ratner's latest poetry books include Balancing Acts (Marsh Hawk Press, 2006), Beggars at the Wall (Ikon, 2006) and House and Home (Marsh Hawk Press, 2003). She is the author of fifteen previous poetry collections and two novels (Bobby’s Girl and The Lion’s Share) both published by Coffee House Press). More information and links to her writing on the Internet can be found on her homepage.