Chapter and Verse

The heater in the corner kicks and whines

like it’s trying to clear a heavy throat.

I’m tracing all the little jagged lines

where the polyester’s fraying on my coat.

The door is still vibrating from the slam,

the silence is a weight against my chest.

I’m trying to remember who I am

without the shouting and the bitter rest.

I pull the nightstand drawer until it creaks

and find the book that stays in every room.

A coffee stain has bled across the peaks

of verses promising a light through gloom.

It’s open to the part about the soul

being left alone in some forsaken sand.

I didn't choose the page, but I can feel the pull

of a story I’ve begun to understand.