The American Dream

this ain't my America--this ain't my American dream.

before she whispers i love you

he’s already out the door,

jacket on his arm and his keys in his hand.

 

she sighs, and goes back to rocking the baby.

she turns on last paycheck’s widescreen TV,

and lets the insistent lights lull her into not caring.

 

a businessman’s wife.

she never wanted to be a trophy on his arm,

a pretty thing he took down from its high shelf

whenever he wanted to show off.

a stay-at-home mother.

she never wanted to be left alone

while he’s sent on business trips,

all alone when he works until early morning.

 

she feels them slipping apart, and

it scares her so much.

she’s sick of feeling so forgotten.

she’s sick of going to bed alone.

 

so when she remembers,

remembers his soft voice and

whispered caresses

and his breath on the back of her neck,

she tells herself, it’s not forever,

it’s not final. it doesn’t mean anything.

one night. just a chance to feel loved again,

and she spends an hour, rocking back and forth on the couch,

scared, disgusted, agonizing over the decision.

but her loneliness wins out,

and she picks up the phone.

 

it’s just one night,

she tells herself.

it’s just one night,

she tells him.

she keeps whispering it

over and over and over and over

[forgive me, Father, for i have sinned.]

it’s just one night.

it’s two months later

when her husband walks in on them

that she realizes

one night can ruin everything.

Author's Note

let me know if you see any grammatical errors.

Reviews

[Never Good Enough]

But how can she help it.... One night...She just had to have it. I can feel the want when I read your work. Love it.

[Bridgette's Ink]

Wow i really like your writing!! I cant quit reading it.

[....]

Such a powerful piece here, Written so well....xo

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

Congratulations! Such a wonderful piece!

[socratesgray]

Well-written work. This is a compelling view of a state of mind, and the consequences that can come from making a poor choice. Or is it a choice at all?

Grammatically, the only error I see is on line six: "let's" should be "lets", no apostrophe.

Congratulations on winning a contest with this poem!

[Rae]

Keep writing!