LotusPapillon: War Bride

Saturday, February 06, 2010

War Bride

By Ieisha McIntyre

Tears rise from my eyes,

Roll down my cheeks,

And slide softly to your chest.

I rest my ear against you and listen

To the beating of your heart.

Try to match my breath to its sturdy rhythm.

Dependent. I know you are there.

I know by the rhythm of your heart.

A gentle breeze blows through the window of our apartment

Tossing new pressed curtains

Against a gently whirring fan.

It cannot drown out my sobbing.

This is the day that you leave.

I need to memorize the sound of your heart.

I need to know every tap of the muscle

And the moment in between,

I need to hear the rush of air in your throat.

I need to hear the intake of the warm late summer air

Rushing into your lungs.

I need to feel the heave of your chest

As the muscles spread gently

Letting in another burst of life.

This is our last morning.

Our last morning before they put the suit of a killer on your back

And paint your blood khaki green.

Last morning, you’ll lie next to me and sleep

Uninterrupted by nightmares.

Last morning that I will wake next to your body

And not be drenched in the sweat of your shame.

The man they will return to me will be a shadow of you.

My heart knows.

I listen to the beat of your heart and the ease of your breathing.

You brush back my hair and promise you’ll return an even better man.

LotusPapillon