Her Day Gone By

when filling the bath tub
she walked away
and crawled into her closet
burrowing into piles of clothes

the scents of her perfumes
rubbed against her body

the warm musk of the closet
felt homely
and she listened
to the rising water

finding several pairs of underwear
she draped them across her face
enjoying the silky sensation
and the mix of smells

this private jungle of life
absconded to back corners
of messy bedrooms
with overfilled closets

with an impulsive jump
she ran to the tub
and shut off the water
just before it overflowed

thinking better of the bath
she delved back into her closet
to swim in her dirty clothes

she'd listen to her breath
or cup her ear to the wall
and listen to the house's rhythms

she masturbated
thinking of anything but herself
or nothing at all
mostly enjoying the sensations
of being alone beyond judgement

as the hours passed
she settled into a place beyond thought
and existed in a dead trance
induced by ambient oversexualized feelings

she eventually awoke in the middle of the night
feeling the tenseness in her legs
and stumbled out of the closet

without a thought
submerging her head in the settled water
now quite cold from neglect

drying off her hair quickly
with the strong smell of sex
wafting by her nose off her fingers
she then stripped her bed
and slept on the floor

in the morning
the sun woke her up
through a sliver of space
between the curtains

and more than the tenseness in her thighs
or the tightness in her back
or especially the smells surrounding her body -

this light broke open her day
and disrupted everything

with sudden shock
and strange self-awareness
she meekly drained the tub
picked up her room a little

then set toward starting her day
with a warm shower