Half Life

The reappearance of the shadow
Mocks the heart to its very core.
A sneer so sinister she wonders
How she could truly still adore.
He spits his poison in her face
And rants with hatred and shame.
He calls upon her weaknesses
To help him lay the blame.


She feels each word like a knife wound
Stabbing her through her breast.
He cannot know what it is he does,
As he tears her heart from within her chest.
Her madness, once subsided
Rears its head once more,
And she curls, in foetal security,
And inches toward the door.


He reigns verbal blows upon her
And kicks her in her soul,
If punishment was his desire
He has attained his goal.
She cries, a whimpering child
Incapable of hating him.
Needing his forgiveness, still.
Her situation, grim.


He laughs in her face, mocking her
For the tears she cries in vain,
And takes his entertainment
From her writhing mass of pain.
She dutifully crumbles
As if she has breathed her last.
And closes her eyes to vanish
In the love that was their past.


In the silence of her mediocrity
Her screams echo her insanity,
And while she tears her hair out
He continues his profanity.
She only ever wished to be
A loving, doting wife
But is resigned to live in limbo
In this self-inflicted half life.


He offers her his hand,
As a gesture of goodwill,
And as she reaches out to him
He adds a bitter pill.
His skin becomes reptilian
She recoils in shock and fear.
His forked tongue flicking on the air
No more a human peer.


She runs to safety away from him
And her heart beats oh so fast.
She does not even know this thing, this snake,
This serpent from her past.
He hisses and he slithers
Across the floor to bite,
And as he moves ever nearer
She finds her hidden might.


She runs on legs so leaden
With misery and pain
And does not stop until she can
Look around safely again.
His body has changed once more,
His human form returns -
But the hurt she felt from him inside
Still tunnels deep and burns.


Had she ever really loved this man?
Was he worthy of her heart?
And did he choose to play this game
That broke her yearning heart?
A step away is all she needs
To end her suffering and plight,
And to send him back to the shadows
And his realm of ruthless night.


She hesitates to take that step,
Can she truly give him up?
Has he offered her bitter wine
In a tainted, broken cup?
Or does he cry in anguish
As she did hours ago?
And is this just a reaction
To an emotion that won't slow?


She takes one step, then stops again.
A longing just to move,
Ever closer to his touch
To give him all her love.
His coldness satisfies none,
Though he stands firm by its side.
She steps again, still closer
Her arms are open wide.


With trembling hands she reaches out
To beckon him to hold,
And the tired eyes that reflect back
Help her to be bold.
He hisses one last onslaught
Of words of spite and malice,
But she holds him close and offers him
Her life blood in a chalice.


He softens in her warm embrace
And his hissing turns to sighs,
As she kisses his cheeks and eyelids
This sanctuary, his prize.
He cannot know the pain and hurt
His words have caused this time,
But he offers her his friendship,
A treasure, so sublime.


She gladly takes this offered gift
And holds it to her heart.
Her tears still flow, but now, it seems,
They play not the sorry part.
She smiles at him, and strokes his arm,
And places a kiss upon his face,
And as she leaves for the final time
He finally knows her grace.




Copyright © Victoria Preston, 2009
All Rights Reserved