Moving On

by Nancy Machlis Rechtman


I pull up to the driveway
And the sight of the FOR SALE sign hits me
Like a physical blow
Despite the fact that it’s been there
All summer
But this time there is a blood-red banner
Blaring the words SOLD
Across the length of the sign
Like a poorly tuned trumpet
That sends my nerves into overdrive
And I want to cover my ears and scream.

I gingerly step over the broken stone path
That leads to the faded deck in the backyard
Hoping to find solace.
As I sink into the rickety folding chair
Where I am a supplicant
Begging the warmth of the sun to massage my soul
And bring me back to life.

Cheery congregations of flowers bob across the fence to welcome me
But I’ve erected a wall of protection that I’ve hidden behind
So that I could live in denial a little longer
While the surrounding yards fill with children’s laughter
As if life can still go on.
Soon there is an almost imperceptible breeze
That signals what is about to come
And when I look up through the kaleidoscope of the trees
Hovering above me
It’s impossible to escape the tinges of yellow
Unexpectedly mixed in with the verdant canopy
Like mosaic tiles
And I know that the palette
Will soon be the color of fire
Before catching the leaves in the flames
As they will swirl lifelessly to the ground
And all will be as empty
As a broken heart.

I force myself to push the door open and walk down the halls one more time
My footsteps echo jarringly through the barren rooms
Where the memories have now been claimed by the house
And I know that once I leave today
Nothing will ever belong to me again.

When I approach the well-worn entryway
There is one last creak of the boards beneath my feet.
I whisper good-bye
And the click of the key in the lock
Is like an electric shock
Now that autumn’s chill fills the air.


* * * * *

Nancy Machlis Rechtman has had poetry and short stories published in Your Daily Poem, The Bluebird Word, Grande Dame, Paper Dragon, Goat’s Milk, The Writing Disorder, Discretionary Love, and more. She wrote freelance Lifestyle stories for a local newspaper, and she was the copy editor for another paper She writes a blog called Inanities at https://nancywriteon.wordpress.com.