you held me
in tender embrace
in your deepest heart
we lived together
laughed together
dreamed together
breathed together
unfathomable
that anyone
could take my place

it was an exchange
quick and quiet
waking up alone
stripped of you
of our imagined future
a featherless
newborn bird
raw, pink
awkward
unsteady
heads turn
away from me
ugly in my grief
unsightly in my pain

I am no martyr
but the loss of us
steals my breath
drags me underwater
seeks to drown me
threatens disintegration
no room yet
for shiny toothbrushes
on the bathroom sink
unfamiliar tee shirt
hanging behind the bedroom door
poetry written to new eyes

© 2017 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved