Fault

each other

like plankton on the tides
conversations mundane
          leftovers sound fine
I paid the mortgage bill

feelings trenched inward
no gulf stream warming
vast plains of deserts
(no path through)

unspoken … hidden
in our crusts

until Jan phoned: it’s Jim
we fold together outside intensive care

between petitions and sobs
we draw a cross on each other’s forehead
mutual pardon

—

Kit Zak, formerly a teacher, considers writing poetry a political act. Her main topics include corporate exploitation of workers and the environment. She publishes in the few protest journals like Newversenews, The Blue Collar Review, as well as Avocet, California Quarterly, The Lyric, The Broadkill Review and numerous anthologies.