by Chad Hollis
She came into the diner
about a week after
our one-night stand
she said
‘come back to the
condo for awhile’
After making love
we sat in the kitchen
and talked
she said
‘I’ve met someone
give me back
that innocent little
girl I gave you so
I can be free to love’
I reached into my heart
and instead
gave her a 16 year old girl
with a broken heart
and a 48 year old woman
too jaded and
numb to move
When I reached
the door
I turned around
and watched her
staring out the window
with sightless eyes
as she tried to
light a cigarette
the dropped matches
guttered out onto the floor
I whistled as I walked out
buoyant with cruelty.