we lived in a nest of plates

all unwashed & hovering 
in the sink where the faucet
wriggled itself loose
silver worm 
six water hearts
undulating to the sound
of an ocean far underneath the drain.

salt begging to clean 
each of our faces with a mildewy 
dish rag
i sometimes crawled in there 
to listen to the waves
as i pressed my ear 
to a teacup or the mouth
of glass bottle still sticky with cola

crawling into dish collage
tilted plates
forehead to forehead
the sound of ceramic bowls
& metal utensils 
scraping together
each with dirty tongues.

i found perfect hiding places
& nestled where no other animals
could find me
even escaping the gnats.
threading together the fingers
of forks to make them pray 
& curling up in the stomachs 
of Diet Coke cakes
to drink the last sips 
of soda from the creases
at the very bottom.

watered down soap 
the smell of tired lavender
would creep up to me sometimes
mistaking me for a smudge.
i would hide & try to list 
all the beautiful things in the sink
the different patterns on the bowls 
& the great crystal dishes that 
sometimes found their way there.
the smell of ripe fruit &
careful dripping all over.

everyone else was there of course
we just couldn't see each other
between in the wild of all the dishes.
sometimes i would hear my name called
for dinner or something else
& i would shout back 
only to have my voice 
drank by a collaboration of mugs.
i have brothers i assume
& probably a mother/father combination.

i have an ocean below 
or maybe just a creek but there
is something deep & loud 
underneath the sink. i have only
gone to the drain once 
just to look into it
just to see it's gaping eye.
i told the drain that if 
it wanted to take me in the night
that i wouldn't protest
but that it could never tell anyone else
i said that. 
the drain agreed. 
i dropped food scraps down it as offerings.
the drain choked & swallowed.

if i meet a sibling i 
will pretend like i've never seen
the drain. i will tell him
to take me there & tell me
what he sees in it.
i need to know if it's just me.