The Proof is in the Pudding

tick tick tick tick
but never any tock
chitty chitty chitty
where's my bang
so much heart
but never any blood
so much skin
but never any bone

Reality

Maybe-not right now.
Then when?
In the quiet of your mind.
I am watching HBO
Is it the one where she dies?
Of course, they're all like that.
Then why can't you change the channel?
I like to see how it happens.
You can record it for later.
No, then it doesn't feel real.

Home

You are three times the age of 12
but the weight of your mother's heel
on the floor boards above you
is still too much to bear
in the house that you own
When your father asks-what are you going to be
when you grow up
because your title cannot be defined as "doctor" or "engineer"
You've answered one too many times to respond
You blame the sound of your husband's snoring
But you wake to watch the morning game show
that's still the same as ten years ago
though the price of gas is ten times higher
which doesn't even matter since you drive a shitty electric car
through the drive-through every morning
to feed an empty stomach
that everyone questions you about
But when you were a little girl
They always said you can be anything
you set your mind on