so many quiet spots in our livesA Poem by Philip GaberYou told me you grew up in a foster home. Fantasized about being adopted by that anguished young couple you saw in your bedroom window on that chill New Year’s Eve morning. The husband, smoking, shaking his head and looking at his wristwatch, stood stiffly. The wife, silent and sullen, arms folded, eyes shielded by sunglasses, paced the parking lot. But you decided he was too short to be your father and she was too hard-looking to be your mother, so you scrapped the whole idea. Then suddenly, you looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. I gotta go.” “Wha?” “I’m not in a perfect place these days…” “What are you talking about?” “I can’t do this… I’m sorry… Love is… It’s not what I’m interested in at the moment… We’ll only end up imploding…” “Imploding?” “My foster mother told me, with men you’ve got to be loving, adoring, and forgiving… And I… am none of those things…” “We made plans,” I said. “We were gonna move to Santa Barbara… You were gonna open up a little rare bookshop… I was gonna find me… What happened?” “All I can say is, I have no idea what to say… Let’s just stick a fork in it and call it a day…” You held out your hand and wished me a great life. Instinctively, I offered my hand, but I was so stunned, it just sort of dangled there and we never did shake hands. You reached into your purse, took out a bottle of aspirin, popped three of them in your mouth and chased them with some coffee. “It’s gonna be alright,” you said. “Everything’s gonna be alright.” That night, I walked to that all-night diner where we’d first met and had a piece of key lime pie. I felt like I was coming down with a fever so I went into the bathroom to splash some cool water on my face. I avoided the mirror altogether; I wasn’t ready to confront that look of heavy resignation beginning to form around my eyes. I went back to my table, pulled out my wallet, laid down a ten and left. © 2024 Philip GaberReviews
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2 Reviews Added on July 7, 2024 Last Updated on July 7, 2024 AuthorPhilip GaberCharlotte, NCAboutI hate writing biographies. I was one of those kids who rode a banana seat bike and watched Saturday morning cartoons and Soul Train. But my mother would never buy any of those sugary cereals for us k.. more..Writing
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