APE

I always

pull my punches

playing Scrabble—

just this after-

noon, for instance,

with a potential

triple-word,

my holding back an

R

that spelled out

RAPE,

like what you went

through years ago,

my laying down

instead

a tail-less primate,

beating his savage

chest, seizing by force

the female

of his choosing ,

then again, no—

to imitate,

to mimic the tenant

below us

doing laundry,

her bulging , puffy

cheeks

much like a

chipmunk’s;

the one who’s

scrubbing the crimson

from her nightgown,

while we’re busy

with our chuckles,

who scrubs and scrubs

and scrubs

when no one’s looking.

Andreas Gripp

September 21, 2024

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