Explaining

I could try
explaining
then the word spreads out like an oil spill
letters stretch more than an old waistband
that no longer quite holds in
what it's supposed to

"Ex" as in former
"plain" as the nose on my face or that place
where rain falls or not-vanilla yogurt
"ing" as in dyslexic gin I should be drinkgin

and it loses
what it was supposed to keep
this explaining
dropping keys down the culvert
butter-side-down floor toast
a quiet confidence

The look in your eyes
if I could see them, if you could try
blinking the wet out of the word
me explaining
and let me see them again

but I can't make sense
the syllables jumble themselves up
a sibilant S, a glottal G, a misshapen
word too often leaked out
explaining doesn't spell
trust