Seven Years

He came back

After seven years

Seven years gone

And he comes running back

Saying he’s changed

Oh, you’ve changed?

You’ve changed, okay?

I was in the backyard

Putting steaks on the grill

The neighbors next door
--The ones in the condo

They were arguing about something

Who knows what

They were always arguing

This was a few years ago

Before one of them left

To go with some younger girl

From Scovie

That poor woman

--The one he left?
She drank herself to death

In that condo

Such a shame

But he comes back

Suitcase and everything

I almost laughed

I really did

You gotta laugh

When somebody’s got balls that big

And they drop ‘em

On your front door

He said while he was away

He figured out some things

And read a few books

And got himself together

And I’m going—

Mhmm

Mhmm

But I’m only half listening

Because I don’t want to burn the steaks

On account of his stupid ass

And his new outlook on life

He’s walking back and forth on the deck

Saying we never had a deck

And I say ‘Yeah, I know, I put one in’

And he said, ‘Why’d you do that?’

And I said, ‘Because I felt like it’

And I can see him

Sort of getting mad

The way he used to

And I just clicked my tongue

Because I knew

Where we were going

We’d been there before

And seven years

Ain’t long enough

To change someone

I can tell you that right now

So he gets a little mad

But then he just pulls a beer from the cooler

We keep out there

And pops it open

Puts his arms around me

Starts kissing my neck

Made me pretty sick

I’ll tell you that

Sick to my stomach

I’m flipping the steaks

More than I needed to

Because I gotta do something

So I don’t have to think about

Those lips

And where they been

And why they’re on my neck now

Because some other girl

Probably threw him out

And for the first time in his life

He didn’t have anywhere else to go

So he comes back home

And I’m thinking—

I should have moved

Like I always said I would

Just because it’s a nice house

That doesn’t mean

There aren’t other nice houses

But I really loved this house

And the girls were too young

To remember most of the shit

That went down here

So I stayed

Because they liked it too

Or maybe because
I’m just a coward

I’m a coward

That’s what I was thinking
When he bit me

Just a little lovebite

Just on my earlobe

But that was enough

I sidestepped

Put my hand

On the back of his head

And smashed it down

Onto the grill

He went to scream

But before he could

I took the knife I was using

To flip the steaks

And slit his throat

Then I let him cook

For a little while longer

Before I shoved him

Down on the ground

You know

Sometimes you say something

And it comes out

Sounding pretty clever

But it ain’t true

Like, when you say seven years

Ain’t long enough

To change somebody

Turns out

That’s not true