I stand there waiting
Reheating the same thing I made yesterday
Cold center
Burnt edge
The world peels in soft strips
Same siren
Same neighbor arguing with the wind
Same breath caught in my teeth
This is what survival looks like
When it isn’t brave
Persistent
No fire
No grand unraveling
Just a flickering light I still haven’t replaced
And the knowledge that it will never be
The right time to change the bulb