cue to the soundtrack
roll the streaming credits
to a life not lived.
she'd survived through
the aftermath
of various tests
centered around his
stomach
covered by 60%
the doctors ruled out
malignant tumors.
he was just in high
school when he found out,
never expected to continue
breathing just the same
it was like he was dealing
with a new can of worms
exploding into the palm
of his hands
and no one understood until
he met her.
they spent blissful moments
side by side
naming their future children
as i can recall
to the best of my ability
Troy and Ivory.
I thought they had forever
from the way smiles
permanently glued to
the planes of their facial features
never seemed to glaze over
and teeter downwards
spiral crazily into
that place known as
unhappiness.
oh, he'd stroke her
fire engine red curls
and tame them into
submission with his
caring nature
and she'd whisper
sweet nothings
into his gauge clad ear
and they'd laugh together
in earnest about nothing
anyone else could understand.
They even staged a picture
reminiscent of that old war
photo with the soldier and nurse;
she was going through schooling
and when she aced her nursing exam
he bought her rainbow hued heels
and she cried tears of happiness
for days on end.
Now her ice blue gatorade eyes
are dry
and she wants only to move on
with her life;
she ignores fleeting comments
on Facebook
asking what was wrong
all along
she presses the close tabs option
and regrets even posting
"relationship ended"
so that the visible eye
can't see
and wonder.
She changes her default
picture to her and her twin
smiling beatifically at
the camera
and notices
once her notifications
arise from out of nowhere
he's changed his picture
to him standing in a forest
surrounded by tall leafy plants
it's no wonder
a lump rises in her throat
her stomach churns violently
like the choppy waves of the sea
during the midst of a storm
her intestines
her mind
everything is washing over her
a temporary tsunami
assailing her from all sides
and leaving her to grapple
with only one question:
did she really mean to let him go?