by Kendra Banach
I press my bare feet against the window
the sun is beating down
but the glass is still cold.
My body heat leaves a thin layer of condensation
I trace a smiley face in it
then wipe my finger vigorously
on the inside of my sweater.
I can still feel the phantom sweat germs lingering.
I’ll make a mental note
to not eat with, or touch my face with, this hand.
Twenty minutes later
my lip itches
and I use that exact finger to scratch it.
I wipe my lip vigorously
on the inner collar of my sweater.
I do not feel clean.
I’ll make a mental note
that if I’m deathly ill in the following week
it was my own fault.