Cereal bowls half full of warm milk,
banana peels, crushed Froot Loops
dotted around the living space—
better to give them a trough—
Floor dense with Legos
and action figures and projectiles
from plastic guns and unidentifiable parts
scattered just so to inflict calamitous pain on feet.
And Pokémon cards,
but these are sacred
so they are organized and neatly kept
in albums, instead of family photos.

Cathryn Shea’s first full-length poetry collection is “Genealogy Lesson for the Laity” (Unsolicited Press, September 2020). Cathryn’s poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and has appeared in anthologies and in many journals including Poet Lore, New Orleans Review, Tar River Poetry. See http://www.cathrynshea.com and @cathy_shea on Twitter.