Fished Out

Unused cold medicines stacked on the sink:
past viruses with unfinished business.
Just this morning you were remembering
The prayer meetings your sister dragged you to
When you were 15. After the clapping,
Singing, tambourines and testimonies,
She never got the result she wanted.
Back in the car, you looked out the window,
Quiet, suspecting the fault was with you
That it all seemed so tacky and stupid.
Later, left alone with only the walls,
You tried to puzzle it out for yourself,
Found that you couldn’t, shook hands with despair.
Time to clear out all this twisted cardboard,
Aluminum slivers smeared with toothpaste,
Thin shavings of gray light best left for dead.