
A ninja closes in on
the victim’s aproned hips
sashaying in time to James
Brown, sheathing dual
swords precisely when
that high note hits
to steal a hug
from mom.
In response to this prompt from Samantha Lazar, for Chalkboard:

When we’d said goodbye,
you mistakenly thought it meant
I was leaving. You’d always underestimated
my level of commitment
until I ghosted you.
You didn’t count on the way
I’d wake you early each morning,
stomping downstairs to unpack our baggage
in the cellar of your lower legs and drag out
those black &…