every box

every box is saved.
every empty can
stacked.
why throw out a perfectly
good empty bottle?
each bag holds another
crumpled bag
within.
three cats roam
and scratch at shallow
pans
of sand.
saucers of wet food
are on the sink.
the narrow paths
of debris
would make a fireman
cringe.
the furniture
has been passed down
from
one death to another,
the dust too.
not a window
can be opened.
it's hard
to breathe.