Generic

tenement of love 
we glean 
through the rubble 
of our misery, 
countless defeats 
rancid promises 
wasted words 
swirl now 
in the cesspits 
of our minds. 
in the slums of happiness 
we’ve dwelt 
upon a meager love diet 
of bread and water, 
we now suffer 
malnutrition. 
graffiti, painted 
not on buildings and fences 
pervades our space; 
verbally written, 
assaults my senses. 
roaches of bitterness 
crawl freelythe walls 
of this cold-water flat, 
our marriage. 
odors of resentment 
stifle me. 
daily, 
my dignity is raped. 
 
01-29-11, revised 
© tlp 2009