The Hold

The door gave a shudder and swung itself wide.

The suction was stubborn and fought with a groan.

Then something let go on the outer white side,

and fell to the tile, brittle and lone.

A card for a dentist who died years ago.

The tape has rolled up in a yellowed, stiff tube.

The residue left is a sticky, gray glow,

a ghost of a square in a plastic-wrapped cube.