michigan

I had never been to Michigan before
It’s cold there
Which is maybe why you chose
To work in the middle
Of nowhere?

Though when I called
your workplace
a woman answered
telling me
they had never heard of you
and she herself didn't
exist
either

Just like I wouldn't
one day

Perhaps you just liked
the sound of a great lake
Too far for someone to swim across
Even if they knew the task

Michigan gets more snow than, say,
Connecticut
Of course
And the avalanches that fall from your roof
Can suffocate anyone
Trying to help you clear it

But the quantity of snow
Wasn’t important

You could kill someone
With a snowball
If you threw it hard enough
It didn’t matter what
state
you were
in

But maybe it was easier to obscure
Your crime in Michigan
And blood-caked footsteps
Would melt
Before anyone could
blame you

I’d need a heavier coat
If I were to come visit you
Of course
And gloves
Lots of layers

We had that in common
The layers

And your story
Got more complicated
With each new question I asked

Until we disagreed on the time zone
You lived in
And whether you intended
to bury me
In that person-shaped hole
You had freshly dug
5
years
earlier