violator by Mariah Eppes

my urges border on the fanatical
and are yet no less sublime
to sit in silence in the place you live
a benign, well-mannered invader
occupying an unobtrusive part of what
i envision is an old sofa,
possibly inherited, with a worn out blanket
that smells of foreign laundry covering my knees
taking my pick—impetuous trespasser—of your books
to read them quietly from my sole position
never leaving so much as a fingerprint on the pages
i will have told no one where i’m going
and you might be able to ignore my
bodily presence; so i tell myself,
to feel less guilty for my imposition
because i know it’s the very air, the very fabric of things, that i violate
Mariah Eppes (she/her) is a writer in New York City. You can find more of her work around the internet and at birdbyrocket.com. She's on Twitter [@BirdByRocket] and Instagram [@bird.by.rocket].