Ruth Williams 
​

Whiteout

For the fifth hour, you tell me
what I mean to you, what you mean to me,
what the past ten years have meant,
but mostly you are mean
and I am all apology
which is another word for meaning
without a dictionary,
i.e. meaningless. Use it in a sentence:
When you told me I was mean
it was another word
for my mouth refusing
your meaning. Though
I wanted to say no, no, no,
that’s not what I meant,
I said, snow, snow, snow,
my mouth missing.

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Ruth Williams is the author of a poetry collection, Flatlands (Black Lawrence Press), and two poetry chapbooks, Nursewifery (Jacar Press) and Conveyance (Dancing Girl Press). Currently, Ruth is an Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at William Jewell College.