Successful Evasion

Simply this: Successfully!  This,   
the word they wrote—from news we heard— 
of how we dodged the damned police.  
But we too evaded sadness,
regret (for who we'd now become),
dread, disgust at weakness within, 
and fury at a world unfair—
those, they never printed or said,
but were torments still that we fled;
and past and future too (enough, 
to only think of cash and cops):  
No homespun Spider-Man pillows, 
Batman blankets, Zorro flipflops....
shopping for hoodies, gloves, and hats 
(for winter), with our moms and dads,
under the summer's hottest star,   
for second-hands in old bazaar. 
Evading who we were, could be, 
we fixed our eyes on dazzling rocks—
sleek fragmented mirrors, tokens  
of commitment, happiness, love— 
that could for us on black market,
bring in (fingers crossed) crazy bucks.

But Looking Back Tonight…

As I look tonight I see a clock that is cracked. 
My muffins tucked in bed, so we’re alone perhaps, 
the tree aglow in red, and all the presents wrapped,  
a Lego set for Kat—But face it, facts are facts! 
You smashed the clock (recall: my gift the day we met), 
and broke the twenty-year-old glass. Your bags been packed 
for years inside your head.  And yet I’d grown attached  
to whispers in the dark, addicted to your scent….
Though you left, it was your orchid pillow I kept, 
and for years and years I hugged the pillow and wept. 
You recall the nights I kissed the curve of your back? 
Hurts me you never truly loved me, loved me back. 
Now I know the thing was just a lie, was an act... 
But tonight I’ve you, my happy family, back.   
And looking back tonight I see the clock…intact.