A direct line to somewhere

He’d seen this scene before

in a dream from the past

perhaps

Waking up alone

one day when he

wasn’t expecting it

although

there were warning

signs as there

are always

warning signs

the real sin

being a lack

of recognition

That is to say

the human

condition we

are all guilty of

our genes coming from

the same mixing

pool

more or less

In the kitchen

after letting the dog out

he noticed the milk

was left out on the counter

all night

He felt the emptiness

of the house

saw the broken plate in the

sink on top of

the other dishes

the ashtray on the

kitchen table full of

cigarette butts

a broken wine

glass in the corner near

the stove

streaking drops of

red wine frozen

sticky on the wall

Without thinking

twice he shamelessly put

the milk back in the

refrigerator and

turned his attention to

dog in the back yard

leg lifted high

peeing on the

hibiscus