She paced the floor
gradually increasing her gait
with each lap around the room.
What had been bottled up
now seeped through kidnapping her thoughts,
her once calm demeanor,
a deck of cards once 52 strong,
hearts first,
now stacked with clubs and jokers.
Alexandra paused by the open window studying her breath,
another rusted trolley car
devoid of passengers
rumbling along soon-to-be derailed tracks.
She picked up the phone dismissing the silence:
“This will no doubt be our last time speaking,” she blurted,
each word perfectly enunciated like a dirge at a funeral.
Silence bellowed its predictable response:
“we must consider one another’s pledge to inspire all that is vibrant, healthy; our pledge to drink only sweetness from each other’s cup.”
“Yes, that was our agreement,” his disembodied voice sighed, disguised as an echo.
“But then I finally grabbed at the ring of courage and hopped off the merry-go-round.”
“Yes, that feels like another lifetime”, her husband conceded, "like courage written in chalk fading into loose powder."
Spring, 2015
Delray Beach, Fl