The Cold
The virus traveled to her blood
after her fingertips brushed the hem
of his coat, he was leaving again
in the middle of the night, the baby
crying, the heat turned off a week ago –
she had collected matches, tried
to empty the throat of the fireplace,
tried to take out the bricks blocking
the chimney with her sewing scissors
and a butter knife so she could pile
a chair or two, perhaps some of his
books, into the fat black mouth
unhinging its jaw like a cartoon snake.
5 comments:
i felt the cold.
This is great. It feels desperate, and I really like the cartoon snake at the end. I've always been a little scared of fireplaces.
Chilling ... I think there's a scene in Henry Miller's Nexus a little similar to this.
Acute viral rhinopharyngitis, or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by rhinoviruses (a picornaviruses) or coronaviruses.
Thanks all, for your comments. Given me something to think about -- and look up!
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