There is nothing

There is nothing

As cold and final

As the realisation

We are all alone

The swollen eye

Peeking from the cupboard

The darkened maw

Behind the teapot

Tells me not to worry

We all die in the end.

I have the receipt

My fingers are stained

From the carbon paper

Small comforts

Are like that

I didn’t sign a contract

Not that I remember.

Apparently

We humans never do

The math

We are all too busy

Trying to beat the rap

Taking the biscuit

Before it melts in the cup

The devil is in the knife

Drawer

The slap

In the face of all the facts

Will come back to haunt us

On dark days like these

When the crack in the enamel

Of the kitchen sink

Festers with gunk

A breeding ground

For nazi memorabilia

Bacterial warfare.

Before the decontamination

A swastika

Grew in the mould

On the bathroom floor.

Too many cooks

Make for a bad day

At the sharp end

A tea towel flapping

In the breeze from an

Open window

Is a flag of convenience.

Piratical encounters

Would be a welcome relief

Be wary of

Chopping block

Retribution

Heads might roll.

I salute all who enter

The kitchen cabinet,

Few will ever leave

Not without

A scar or two