Bubble Bath

Kenzie Barkac

Poetry

warm water caresses my skin
shielding me from your toxins
a thick curtain of steam and lavender
coating the refuge around me
small again
this white porcelain tub
offers a home in a world where I am untouched

but where was my safe haven
when your weight crushed my frail bones
splintering and breaking
like the putrescent bodies six feet down
your lips burn like acid on my jaw and throat
infecting my body with shame
leaving me flaccid
a waste of the woman I once was

could I then walk away
and collect my thoughts in the tub
could I reclaim my youth among the bubbles
would the demons you left
melt away in the moisture on the windowsill

Kenzie Barkac is a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and creative writing. She is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania; trained her dog to be a certified therapy dog; and recently attained her scuba diving license. She hopes to swim with sharks soon.