The Ecosystem

When it feels like this,

talking to him

is

raccooning

after the scraps.

Scouring for something to say to you

so the ecosystem we have built

of

gnawed bones, apple cores,

and littered wrappers like

one word answers

carries on

tonight.

When it feels like this,

like scavenging animals

searching for substance

in the dimly lit streets -

even as it screams

rotten

on the tongue -

it makes her question

when she started to

pretend

she couldn’t taste

the difference.