Spin Cycle

     I’ve been feeling dizzy lately,
more so than usual.
And you forgot me again -
add that to my list of troubles.

Lost among others like myself,
I sit and wait for what feels like an eternity
filled with soap and suds -
how can you claim you treat me gently?

I’m not very good at that hot-
and-cold game you play.
My frail body can only handle
so much until I shrink to the size
of a pea pod, usable only as a shelter
for a centipede. Funny how its feet
would appreciate me more than yours.

Instead, you wear me thin until I split
under pressure, unable to contain you, unable
to share the journeys of your everyday life.
But that shouldn’t stop you. You don’t see
Swiss cheese being ignored because of a few
harmless holes.

I hope your toes are cold.