Tanka: Upon Overhearing Loud, Impromptu Plans for Divorce
Hearing shouts and tears
rising and falling above
her, a child takes their
shoes—one hers, one his—and ties
a tight knot, lacing the two
together, dragging
one across the carpet so
the other follows
—resistant—stumbling—stubborn—
to the furthest corner from
the front door, away
from the night that swallows their
kitchen window’s glow;
she hides them, hoping to keep
the two from coming undone.