Contributor: Em Ramser
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He pats her head
like she’s a well trained
golden Labrador.
She licks her lips, pretending
her saliva is turpentine
and bleach.
She picks the crumbs of dirt
from her knees. It’s her
OCD, her need
to clean.
She got it from the stepmother
who forced her on her knees
to clean doorways
and baseboards.
He slides his thumb across her bottom lip.
She forces a smile and a swallow,
all the time
tracing lines
of graffiti on the wall
behind him.
She used to paint
like that
with spray cans,
once even brushes.
He buckles his belt,
tucks his button up into his jeans
and asks her if she wants to go to Hardee’s
for lunch. He says
he’ll buy her a turkey burger.
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Emily Ramser lives in Winston-Salem, NC, though you're more likely to find her online at chickadeesweetie.wordpress.com....
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Author:
Em Ramser
