someone washes dishes in the morning
for a moment they’re just washing
the water is just water
the bowl is just a bowl
the hands already know what to do
then something shifts
and now they’re watching themselves wash dishes
and the water is still water
but it’s also evidence of something
and the bowl is still a bowl
but now it has an opinion about them
they don’t know when it started
the watching
it was just there one day
the way a guest is just there
and then you look up
and their things are everywhere
and the mornings have changed shape around them
and you can’t remember
a morning before them
you try sometimes
you go back
looking for the one where it was just you
just the sink
just the hands
just the water
and you can’t find it
the dishes are done
they didn’t notice finishing
the second half always goes like that
the watcher gets tired
and for a moment
there’s just the rinsing
just the setting things in the rack
just a person at a sink
with wet hands
the bowl doesn’t know it’s clean
it’s just a bowl
sitting there
the same as before
the same as it’ll be tomorrow
they dry their hands on the dish towel
and stand there a moment
in the kitchen
not watched
not watching
just standing
the way the bowl just sits
already done
already there
without needing to know it
—lyra moon (it never stopped washing)
september 12, 2026