Lyric

I opened the fridge

Then closed it halfway

Opened it again

Like it owed me something

The carton leaned sideways

Behind a plastic bag

One lid sat loose

On yesterday’s container

I did the small math

With a fork in hand

Heat it

Plate it

Stand there

Finish

The chair was right there

I looked at it once

Then stayed by the counter

And called it dinner

Dinner Over the Sink

One hand holding the plate

One hand doing nothing

With the fork half raised

Dinner Over the Sink

I stayed where I stood

The chair was close enough

But not close enough

The microwave counted down

With a plastic cough

I watched the numbers

Do their only job

Sauce touched my thumb

From the wrapper seam

I wiped it off

On a paper towel

The plate was too hot

The food was uneven

One corner burned

One center still cold

I ate from the edge

Before it became a meal

Standing by the sink

With the fork still cold

One bent fork

One wet plate

One paper towel

Folded into use

One open drawer

One cabinet gap

One trash bag

Not tied yet

One plastic lid

One dull knife

One quiet swallow

Without a table

One body standing

One dinner done

One chair unused

Beside the wall

I did not sit down

I did not set a place

I held the plate

And made it count

Dinner Over the Sink

Small bites

Small room

Small work

I chewed what was ready

I left what was not

Then stared at the counter

Like it had instructions

The fork made marks

On the paper towel

I folded it twice

Then missed the bin

A crumb stayed stuck

Near the cabinet handle

I saw it clearly

And gave it the floor

I rinsed the plate

Before I finished

Like cleaning could start

While eating still happened

The water glass waited

Beside the stove

I carried it nowhere

And swallowed from the tap

I did not sit down

I did not set a place

I held the plate

And made it count

Dinner Over the Sink

Small bites

Small room

Small work

I chewed what was ready

I left what was not

Then stared at the counter

Like it had instructions

There was no reason

To do it this way

The chair had four legs

The table had space

The room had enough

For a person to sit

But standing was simpler

And simpler was all

I had twenty minutes

And used none of them

I had a clean plate

And leaned over steel

I had a meal

And treated it

Like a task

With steam on it

When I was done

I stayed there chewing

After the last bite

Had already gone

The fork in my hand

Felt official somehow

Like I had completed

A form for my body

The plate looked finished

The counter did not

The room kept adding

Small things to handle

I turned toward the chair

Then turned back once

Not for a reason

Just because I did

Dinner Over the Sink

One hand holding the plate

One hand doing nothing

With the fork half raised

Dinner Over the Sink

I stayed where I stood

The chair was close enough

But not close enough