Hour 22: who’s the monster

i watch you,
hawk-eyed
though it is you
who’re preying
on my misery
i watch you
when i turn
this way or that
somehow
you’re always
in my field of vision
throwing
your head back
and laughing
at some silly
joke SHE’s told you
and i see
the vein
in your neck throb
my skin’s gone cold
mouth’s dry
you’ve forgotten
so easily?
which side of you
do i believe?
the one that
calls me
in secret
affirming
our bond?
or the hand that’s
clutching HERS
now?
it’s over, the spring
leaves, proud
in their green
tenderness,
say smugly to me
and something shardy
hurts so deep
i bleed
and my skin
erupts
the doctor’s verdict:
lichens planus
likely cause: extreme
emotional stress

6 thoughts on “Hour 22: who’s the monster

  1. Linda, this is so powerful and provokes a lot of thoughts and feelings. The question of how we define monsters in our lives is so important… and the possibility that we involuntarily turn our bodies on themselves is a deep truth. Thank you for your poem.

  2. Oh my gosh yes…your words and imagery brought back memories and yet I never saw him as a monster til I read this piece. And you’re right…he damned well was a monster! Thank you so much for sharing this with us 🌞

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