Everything is Hard by Lisa Reynolds

My seat is hard.

The one beside me no better.

The table we gather around.

The metal appliances we use

to cool and cook our food.

The floor tile.

Even the carpet

with its prickly bristles

that no amount of

vacuuming softens.

Hostility resides here.

His face is hard.

I want to believe

he is good.

That I am good.

That we are good.

But I know better.

So, I move hesitantly.

Breathe shallow breaths.

Avoid rooms where he is.

As I sit, I am surrounded

by other hard faces.

I swallow. Feed a body

with tasteless food.

Wonder why I’m here.

Why not elsewhere.

In a real home

where there is love.

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Lisa Reynolds is a Canadian writer of poetry and short stories. She is internationally published in anthologies, literary journals, and magazines. She lives in a waterfront community east of Toronto, Ontario.