Under Their Sink

Underneath their kitchen sink, the shiny
red cylinder stands vigilant, ready
to rescue them from their flammable home,
extinguishing fires, with its thick foam,
that erupt from oven, stove top, or fears,
though flames never appeared in all these years.

In their TV cabinet, there is no
sentinel for dousing the inferno
of contempt and dehumanization
that rages uncontrolled on the flat screen,
fought with backfires they might set someday;
meanwhile, they backlight a candle and pray.

In the bedroom, a small candle toils
to effuse, for lovers, essence oils,
and to distract, by flickering shadows,
the mental ceiling sprinklers spraying to-do’s,
agendas, disappointments, and regrets
that swamp their pelvic floors, make their feet wet.

And in the children’s rooms, the foam is deep,
sprayed thick with good intentions, there to keep
the children safe from self-immolation
by unrealistic expectation
of growing up to become an artist,
musician, astronaut, or novelist.
When grown, their recompense will be to think
of the extinguisher under their sink.

Cool Beans Lit , Vol. 2, Issue 2, Summer (June 21) 2025, p.15. A free flipbook and PDF of the entire issue is also available at the website.

Notes: Ironies of fire extinguishers: Under the kitchen sink but never used, needed at the TV but not available, not wanted in the bedroom but mentally applied anyway, and used on ambitions of children – who grow up to repeat what they’ve learned. Regarding form: Every line is decasyllabic, with rhyming pairs of lines.

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