Soymilk gone wrong

when your ears turn against you
and the world goes silent
all of the drumming water on the back of your neck
makes sense, with all of the noises inside
coming clear through your ears, inside out and perfect.

blend and grate away your anger,
until it blasts onto the ceiling when you remove the lid,
strawberry-kiwi soy milk stains the grooves next to the spaghetti
that decorates like birthday-party silly string

inset your ideas into a fear
ask until you hear that life was so different then,
life was so different than
life is so different now.

and drive down the highway,
asking please and thank-you as you send her on her way
down route thirty-three going west,
balance things to make your mother's
college boyfriend believe in the integrity
of high school juniors and their hearts.