LIVING ALONE
**is easy, no one
telling you what to do
or when to do it
no one questioning why
you’re eating M&Ms
so early in the morning
or peeling a potato
with your fingernails
instead of a knife
no one watching you forget
to screw the top back
on the coffee maker
or put the glass pot under
the spout, spraying coffee
all over the kitchen
no one asking what’s for dinner
as you walk through the door
no one there
to see that living alone
is as easy
as landing on the moon
every night, looking
to claim your place
on an empty planet
with every tentative
weightless
step you take.
by Elizabeth Burk