Before it Occurred to Me

as the extra kitchen cleanser
mixed with the laundry detergent
i spilled on the floor before
the fumes rose

i opened a window
turned on a fan

coughed

before it occurred to me
that i could mix these cleaning fluids
at just the right time
and leave him
trapped here
to this fate

as he has trapped me here
for countless years

no, i'm no Nazi
no, i'm not evil
i'm a woman

and sometimes
after you've spent years
breathing these fumes
you finally decide
when enough
is enough