The old toy poodle
barely raises its head
as Charles hits the floor:
hardwood, cypress, polished
each week by a Venezuelan woman
who would also dust the portraits
on the walls, faces that now seem
to stare down at the body like strangers.
In the kitchen bread burns in the toaster--
a breeze gossips with the drapes--
outside a mother calls to her child.
Helen Peterson can be contacted
at helenpeterson@yahoo.com.
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