Body Temp

The heater gave a shudder and then it just quit,

leaving me standing in the middle of it.

The spray hit my shoulders not hot and not cold,

just the temp of a secret that's already been told.

I didn't move my hand to turn the dial to the right.

I just stood in the stall in the dim bathroom light.

The steam didn't rise, it just hung by the grate

like a heavy wet blanket or a person too late.

It felt like the blood in my own tired veins,

a middle-ground liquid that washes no stains.

I waited for the shiver but it wouldn't come through,

so I stayed in the dampness and thought about you.