Her parents ignored her
lost in their own world
so she learned, of course
to ignore herself
and the mounting pile
in the middle of the
living room floor.
For years a maid
kept the place hoed
back, she contained
the chaos in one
locked room.
Metal shelves in library
rows, held boxes of things
not gotten to.
Day by day they lost
consciousness, as hidden
rooms do.
The door never opened
when anyone was around.
Mail piled up beneath
its slot, birthday cards
and bills unopened.
Cereal bowls abandoned
beside the bed.
Camping gear and saddles,

what dark fears drive
women to so abandon
their lives,
what wounds unlicked