WHY I LEAVE THE HOUSE EARLY

She never turns off the coffee pot. Black and boiling, an empty glass bomb slowly warming to a pending fire. When I turn it off she shivers, says it’s too cold for her to consider, then blames me when she burns her tongue. Next time I’ll let it sit, sip my mug from outside. Watch our house burn down.

Babette Cieskowski

Originally from Oahu, Hawaii, Babette Cieskowski has lived in southern Florida, Kitzingen, Germany and central Texas. She is currently earning an MFA in poetry from Ohio State University. Her poems have been published in Coastlines, The Rectangle, Black Heart Magazine, Arsenic Lobster, Pittsburgh Poetry Review, and Compose.

Contributions by Babette Cieskowski