I am the letters you avoid
choosing in a game of hangman guessing.

I am the dirty dishes,
overlooked until you can no longer stand the reek of it.

I am the raisins in your bread.
You hate raisins ever since your dad left.

I am the almost empty shower bottles
you fail to empty any further.

I am
too much
effort,
too big a squeeze.
Replaced before I am complete.

Completely empty.

I am the crack in the concrete outside your doorstep
you refuse to step on.
Yesterday you covered me up.
What you can’t see, isn’t there right?

At least you can wipe your feet now.

But still,
you never do.

You know I’m your letter V.
And you know I will never be able
to leave.

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Eady Sweetlove is a veterinary student loving to get lost in poetry. Currently she is pursuing both her passions, animal welfare and writing. She hopes to someday be a published poet and connect to other creatives.