Shivering through the steam

She liked to wear her glasses in the shower.
There were two things she rarely saw clearly:
the ceiling above her bed,
and the labels on her shampoo.
Though far fetched,
she believed if she could read "Suave"
from all the way on the other side of the tub
the world would be right again.

She shivered through the steam,
the biting winter cold seeping through the curtains.
She took her razor to the gooseflesh on her legs
not quite sure why she bothered,
no one would see her legs today.
But, in the back of her mind
she imagined crossing her legs,
and someone would acknowledge her silky smooth shin.

Somehow the rubber mat outside her tub was never slippery.
She hopped across the floor register
to grab her flimsy blue towel.
Her skin actually hurt as it pulled away from her body
in search of warmth.
The heat from the register only felt like ice.
"You bastard, you bastard,"
was all she could mutter to the old man
whom she liked to pretend lived in the furnace.

She didn't bother to wipe away the fog
as she picked up her tube of toothpaste
Standing alone and naked,
she ignored the strong mint biting at her tongue
as she brushed away all the germs and memories
that had accumulated on her teeth overnight;
and as she spit the foam into the sink
she barely even noticed the red mingling with the white.




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8-30-04