prosserspoems:

she says i’m not there for her

i picture her walking through a mansion

opening each door expecting to find me

there’s an 8x10 photo of me on the left pane

of each window in every room

i am nowhere to be found

she finally descends into the basement

the furnace is humming

the floor is cold, lifeless concrete

there are spiderwebs and dust heaps

an abandoned science project that smells of vinegar

bags of clothes intended for the salvation army

and a milk crate

whee sits this very journal

in which i am now writing

it catches her eye

like the sighting of a nest

on an aimless stroll

she picks it up

contemplating her audacity

and finds herself

here on this very page

she feels she is being watched

she looks over her left shoulder

a ladybug sits there

she is now caught between these words

and an animal instinct that informs her of a predator

she realizes that i am there

somewhere

she skims through these words

for hints of my whereabouts

i love you

“so what” she thinks

as she reads on

“where are you when i need you?

this is not a nurturing relationship

we’re not here for each other”

then why else are we here?

she closes the book

frustrated

and walks towards the furnace

she slowly opens the door

i am there

lost in a vision

unable to decipher

the fire that burns me

from the page that writes me