"I saw a picture of a house falling in on itself" by Beth Mulcahy

when anger elbowed in

followed by fear

through the door I failed to secure

and the shame of another thing

I’ve left undone

So sleep was elusive with all that banging around

every thought a

potential victim for the chopping block of my brain

the faucets wouldn’t stop running

so any dreams were flooded

Saturday’s exhaustion inevitable

no match for mounting tension

the darkness around here

could be bruises or shadows

I can’t tell anymore

The gables have butterflied

and the arches inverted

windows broken like promises,

the last of the bracing collapses

and I’m broken

I can’t remember who I was

when I saw a picture of a house falling in on itself

I didn’t know it would be a premonition

that by Sunday

I would be fallen in on myself

Beth Mulcahy is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in various journals. She writes to bridge the gaps between history and the self, between hurt and healing. Beth lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. She works for a company that provides technology to people without natural speech. Beth’s debut Chapbook with Anxiety Press, Firmer Ground, is now available. Learn more about Firmer Ground and check out her latest publications on her website: https://www.bethmulcahywriter.com.