Water (pressure)

what did they promise you

when you signed your new lease

when you moved your way up?

did they tell you rich neighborhoods are silent?

nobody cries out loud and

all the pressure is in the water

so you just

drink.

did they tell you there’s no music here

and nobody’s grandma pacing outside

to see you in late at night?

or that daddy can’t come either

because wheelchairs won’t fit

through rich people doors?

did they tell you

mama’ d also be gone

no longer seeing herself in you.

the only way to break a curse

is with vinegar and boiling water

and you just

(drink)

Notes: Thank you to Jack Carenza and Jannel Alston, who helped me edit and refine this poem!