She sits alone at the kitchen table,
Waiting for the sounds of his footsteps,
Hating herself
Knowing they will not cross her doorway again.

Her hands clasping a hot mug of tea,
Hoping to leach some warmth back into her frozen body
Too heartsick to even weep,
Her vandalized soul is held in a tight vise
Of grief and pain.

Random thoughts flit quickly through her mind,
Memories of shared joy
Dark passion
The love so palpable it hurt


Ashes now
Erased by a harsh hand
That once held her heart with such tenderness
How could he?

The old bed,
Silent witness to the slow sweet deep joining
The soft cries of ecstasy
Lies empty, the scent of him everywhere

She often finds herself burying her face in his pillow
Soul sick
Trying to recapture him in her longing heart
To hold him there in her just one more hour

She knows deep in the marrow of her bones
He is gone
Leaving a trail of ashes
Where once love grew