didn’t you ever hear
that you shouldn’t shower during a thunderstorm?

your laugh echoes through
the creeky bathroom,
the patter of the shower
under our feet, the cascade
of rain outside

that’s what they tell us to avoid
unnecessary damage:
unneeded wounds, unwanted injuries

what are the limits of the body?
the mind? the heart?

what are the true risks?
is the danger, truly,
something so minuscule
that there’s no reason for worry?
or have i been indulging,
all this time, in something
that’ll kill me,
that’ll shatter me / whole?