The fridge compressor has a rattle

The fridge compressor has a rattle,

a wet, desperate sort of cough.

The power went out in the storm

and everything inside turned soft.

The blue bowl is in the back corner.

She brought it over in November.

The plastic lid is bowed upward,

tight with the pressure of the dark.

There is a fog against the seal,

a cloudy sweat that hides the grey.

I know if I peel back the edge

the whole house will smell of her

leaving.