next

She gathers
her necessaries
in an
ti
ci
pa
tion:
kleenex
lip
stick a piece
of fruit
a note
on a sticky pad a
pencil and
a hard thing to write on
a child a
man and
a light jacket and
a woman and
a heavier jacket
somehow stuffed
into pockets
sleeves
crevices in
the couch
beneath
the seat
cushions
behind eye
lids
anywhere
she might
need a thing
for the next
visit or
meal or trip
or bout
of heat or
cold
for the un
certainty
of living
in the future.