The Science Project

The hallway is no longer safe,

it’s thick with the smell of a damp basement.

I pull the door and the light is a harsh, cold judge

pointing at the back of the second shelf.

The Tupperware is gasping,

its blue lid bowed upward, tight as a drum

from the pressure of a beef stew that has decided

to grow its own fur. A velvet, expensive green.

I should throw it away, container and all,

but I just stand here with the fridge humming

like a machine that’s tired of my excuses.

It looks soft. It looks like a secret I kept too long.