Something
On Her Mind
By Kathi Emmel
"What's wrong?" he
asks, reaching to rub knots twisted in her shoulders.
"Nothing," she replies, with worry sketched in her face, hands wringing.
When he says nothing,
nothing at all he means nothing, nothing at all.
When she says nothing, she means -
The dirty dishes
which need scrubbing, as do the children
Breast cancer, negative numbers in a checkbook
Canceled appointments, overdue notices, a disregarded dancing career
Violence on television, 365 ways to cook chicken
Being taken for granted, baby sitters, sexual assualt, one-night stands
Scraped knees.
Runs in nylons
Lower wages and passed-by promotions…
When she feels tired
and worn, she doesn't care to admit it
When she feels fed up and cranky, she blames biology instead of others.
He says nothing, and
means nothing
She says nothing, and means everything.