5:00pm Flight
by Tobi Alfier
He takes off his ring sometimes
to hurt.
Leaves it tarnished &
accusing
near the coffeepot,
where she will see
among the detritus of
his uncaring cohabitation,
papers,
negatives,
toothpicks,
socks,
sunflower seeds,
old, gold icon
the umbilicus.
She wears black as a color
and pink leotards.
Smoothes SPF 30 on her
curious face,
turns up the radio,
pours some juice,
avoids the counter,
orders bowling shoes through
a catalog
and wonders what she has to offer.
She tries on eyeshadow
and high heels.
Wonders how it would feel to be free,
unencumbered and
emancipated.
She takes a drink,
tends her garden,
contemplates the 5:00pm flight to Paris,
carries on in spite of
his spite
and creates herself
a lovely day.
* * * * *
"5:00pm Flight" was first published in Poetic
Diversity (2005) and is part of Tobi Alfier's poetry collection Sanity
Among the Wildflowers (republished by Cholla Needles Press, 2019).
Tobi Alfier is
a multiple Pushcart nominee and multiple Best of the Net nominee. Slices
of Alice & Other Character Studies was published by Cholla Needles
Press. Symmetry: earth and sky is forthcoming in May from Main Street
Rag. She is co-editor of San Pedro River Review (www.bluehorsepress.com).
Such a gentle tone, yet it claw the heart 'til it bleeds.
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