BATH

i enter as the water runs
bubbles escape from separate parts of me
and i slip & slide slug-like atop the suds

the first time i'm not bathing standing up
since Thanksgiving
i feel large & sexual
alone in the largeness of this new space that is home

every corner & crevice of me feels beautiful & right where it belongs

i have two choices
which i consider more than you get most of the time
Hot or Cold
i choose a mixture

tonight, lying here in this wet abyss, i long for a cigarette
some candles would be lovely too

i used to not feel clean
having just laid in what came off of me
but i love that old familiar childhood burn of water rushing up your nose

and my body never really prunes