This first appeared in the May issue of The Red River Review.

He looks at me sideways
Jaw clenched
Smirk in the corner of his eye

what have i done?

Head blood-drumming
Face hot flushed
i meet his glare

"Elbows," he growls

i bring my wrists demurely to rest
Against the wood before my plate
Glance to be sure the napkin's where it goes
Swallow one last bite
Throat cinched with fettered rage

The damage i have done

i stare with sudden interest
At familiar wood beneath my hands
White refrigerator chattering
Old dog wagging sadly beyond the door

Such staring keeps the tears at bay
i won't grant him those

i don’t look at the children
Though i feel them watching
Growing as goldfish grow to fit
The confines of their world