Static Inventory
Nothing is wrong enough to name.
That’s the problem.
The sink holds a single glass
I keep refilling instead of washing.
Mail sleeps unopened,
important only because it insists.
I tell myself I’m resting.
I tell myself I’m regrouping.
I tell myself this is temporary.
Time doesn’t argue.
It just keeps collecting interest.
I make small promises
and forget them gently.
I rehearse conversations
with people who are no longer listening.
The future arrives without ceremony,
stands in the doorway,
waits for me to acknowledge it.
I don’t.
Heather Kays is a St. Louis-based poet and author. Her memoir, Pieces of Us, dissects her mother’s struggles with alcoholism and addiction. Her YA novel, Lila’s Letters, traces a young woman’s growth and healing through unsent letters. Her poetry collection, Myths in the Feed, sold out six times in three months, making her Crying Heart Press’s best-selling author. She was nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize in 2025. Heather runs The Alchemists, an online writing community, and is drawn to stories that explore survival, identity, and the complexity of being human.
