Conductivity

The roll screams when it leaves the cardboard box,

a sound too sharp for a kitchen this still.

I try to smooth out the silver shocks

of a used sheet against the window sill.

But the metal catches a jagged nail

and splits down the middle, thin and bright.

My face in the crinkle is grey and pale,

bent by the overhead kitchen light.

I wanted to save it, to make it last,

to keep the heat from leaking out.

But the edges are sharp and moving fast

and there's nothing left to talk about.