Security Deposit

by Ruben · 08/02/2026
Published 08/02/2026 15:47

I jammed the brass bit into the slot

but the barrel wouldn’t turn.

I’m three years late for that door

and the locks have all been swapped.


I remember the linoleum corner

that curled up like a yellow scab

by the humming fridge.


I stood there in the hall like a ghost

while the new tenant’s dog

barked at the sound of my mistake.

#alienation #domestic life #housing insecurity #missed obligations #regret

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