Before Anything Happened the House Had No Skeleton

the termites had deboned the thing it was clean there was no saving it in one bedroom a dresser with blue drawers its peg-legs rested on pure membrane a girl just stood in her underwear ran the tips of her fingers over her ribs thought greyhound no one knew no explaining why she didn’t fall through the floor the kids were drinking beer in the yard the tetherball rope caught one girl’s throat her mother’s face obscured behind the porch screen the mesquite shadow no one could make her out her feet rested on hot sashes of dust the sounds on the television were far away as that big caliche mound looked lake a waving man the president got shot the boards stayed together for another three days it was a matter of apathy or swelling or everyone was too hot to move