Non-Refundable Deposit

The sunlight is a snitch upon the floor,

tracing out the scuffs beside the door.

The landlord sent a text about the keys,

while I was eating cereal at my ease.

I found a silver earring in the back

of the junk drawer, near a plastic sack.

It doesn’t smell like anything I’ve made.

Just a hollow space where the rent was paid.

A house is just a place you have to scrub

before you leave your hair inside the tub.