The Flood

In those days, and also after, she had a child, a smile
She would look back
She remembered the laughter
It wasn’t hard, it wasn’t forced, but those calloused hands sing songs of remorse

But that man, if you can call him that, packed his bags, walked out on them, and never looked back

Now she is all, alone

Her boy, his face, a reminder of the pain she felt that day, when everything was changed

But that man, if you can call him that, kept his foot on the gas, took the turn too fast, and let the river consume him

No father at home
A pregnant mother and son
An emotional wreck led to the father’s death
She recognized the car from the newspaper she read
Closure was never an option
For the vows that she read, regret sinks its teeth in

But that man, if you can call him that, paired with pain and neglect chose himself instead

He drowned to death in his regret
Let the dead bury themselves