Ventriloquism

I run the water so hot
that it turns my hands red
like your blushing ears.
I rinse the cups and bowls
from meals and snacks past.
They were left for me,
called mine,
some were.
"Clean up your own messes!"
"Hey,
why don't you
wash your dishes?"
echoes in my head;
his arrogant tone reverberating
inside my skull.
"Hey,
why don't you
leave me be?"
I scream in return
like a ventriloquist
(mouth shut);
like a ventriloquist
(a dummy).