Maybe I stopped at the Jack in the Box on the way here, and maybe
right when I got into the drive-thru lane, the car in front of me
parked and the driver got out and took off toward the Dumpster.
Ever had that happen to you? Probably not. If it had, you would
allow my tardiness with an understanding smile and a friendly
nod; instead, you greet me with this gray cloud of distrust, a look
unnerving to the children—not only me. If you’d ever caught me lying,
then fine, grumble that I’m late because I was with another in
bed. But that’s not the truth. The truth is I wanted to pick up those
unbelievable mini tacos and a Coke and maybe some fries.
The truth is I binge every night before I come home on
tasty fast food in hopes I can fill this giant unfillable sinkhole.
Either way, it doesn’t matter. I left my car there in line
resigning my fate to the person who fled on foot wishing I were him.
Cat Dixon (she/her) is the author of Eva and Too Heavy to Carry (Stephen F. Austin University Press, 2016, 2014) and the chapbook, Table for Two (Poet's Haven, 2019). Recent poems have appeared in LandLocked, Anti-Heroin Chic, and Abyss & Apex. She is a poetry editor at The Good Life Review. She tweets @DixonCat.