1
There are twenty drawers
but only one keyhole
2
bite guard
rubber band
cough drop
3
Assorted drawers in maple frames
stacked on a slant, askant
4
lint brush
lavender
lip balm
5
A warp of wood
hitched in a jute strap
fourteen years in the making
6
night creams
magazines
and dreams
7
“The drawers are the sliding parts.”
“What do you call the rest of it?”
“A nightstand”
8
is empty
9
nail file
paper clip
flashlight
10
“This one’s locked.”
“There must be a key.”
“Maybe in here—”
11
Gravity, pulling us
face-first into
the bottomless
12
I exit
alone, no phone,
wearing a necklace
13
Attendant arrives,
“Got an alert about these drawers.”
I shrug. He tests the strap for tension
14
scissors
pepper spray
poem
15
“Need anything while you wait?
“Infinity material?”
16
is empty
17
wristwatch
photograph
wedding ring
18
Ringing from the
keyhole drawer.
I put my hand to my neck—
19
I answer, you say,
“Everything is more this way”
20
I keep coming back.
The jute strap holds fast.
My only problem is...
The Writing of John B. Randall 