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.
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.