Arms

The mouse refuses capture, leaves a trail of unmistakable calling cards but hides in the heat of the day, you wonder if the upstairs neighbor killed him after all. Her manicured expressions don't suit the ramshackle wood staircase between your apartments, this cramped stairwell that breathes Lower East of old, you loved it at first glance, and she jars the view. She is now on first name basis with the exterminator. You hope the neighborhood chews her up and sends her to Murray Hill in due time. It is your most scathing review. The heatwave climbs up your window, sweating against the poorly sealed panes, he writes from under a starry sky and wishes you were there but the words all blur together, the names, the wondering pairs of eyes. 

It's okay
I know someday I'm gonna be with
you

but the didn't spell out the terms
of the contract and
I don't know if I'm upholding my end of the bargain.