Rana Williams
DUST IN THE SHOWER
Topless
raining in a lovely lavender
spotted mini
Clouds of white puff cotton invade my space
I see the consequences,
a blur of imagination
a spuddle
Quiet episodes of “Cougar Town” play softly in my mind
I could be her
this could be you
“single”
The cascading relevance at a Sunday’s bar
brings me back just to look again at you
I heard the music
but did you?
Drowning to be loved
Not wanting to be alone again
Agony
heartache
dripping tender swelts of painted swirls
all lined with my black beaded guilt
Hide me
Keep me kept away
in this room
just like this
The covered toilet reminding me I could be here for years
looking
searching
hoping to fix all that is not perfect in that mirror
I can do nothing else
But stand here
Stand here
while the world continues to live.
Author’s Comment: The poem “Dust in the Shower” is about a single woman in her mid-thirties. She is lonely, trapped in a world of obsessive thoughts. This character keeps looking at the bathroom mirror so to fix her physical appearance, unable to realize her anxieties have taken over, leading her further into a depression.
Bio: Rana Williams graduated with a B.A. degree in History and double minors in English and Professional and Technical Writing from Morehead State University in 2007. The poem “Dust in the Shower” is her first published poem.
Wild Goose Poetry Review 
This poem seems to picture something near schizophrenia along with obsession. Powerful.
The character has severe depression and anxiety issues. I wanted to focus on a mental illness issue with this poem because a lot of people have a mental illness, and they are unable to get help.
Thank you for your comment.
This is a wonderful poem and I like it very much. Rana is a terrific poet and knows how to describe any subject is a powerful mannner.
Thank you Brenda for this lovely comment.
You are very talented. I felt much emotion as I read your poem over and over. Then, I listened to two songs that I was reminded of: Richie Haven’s “Morning, Morning”, and Duffy’s “I’m Scared”. Looking forward to more of work!!
Rana, Congratulations on your first publication. This is an amazing poem. I understand you have been writing for a while but are now taking the study of poetry seriously. It is up, up, up you go.
Rana, love your word “spuddle”! “Drowning to be loved” is a gripper line. Poem reeks with emotions.
This is a great poem, Rana. You took an abstract figure, a stereotype of a woman, and made her tangible and real. That’s talent.