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Cassandra Willoughby

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Vindictive Valentine

I want to live life on the edge,
be bold, escape marriage vows with you.
On the thirteenth of February,
I rush out with no explanation,

no coat or hat to keep me warm,
just a strong instinct to follow my heart
and not my head. He was already there,
tonight he would be mine,

surprised but not evasive he let me
take the lead. The local band created an ambience,
a dream state, a day without end,

or a night with a special purpose. Time to go
home but a destiny still to resolve. A walk in the
silent park, arm in arm, not wanting to hurry. Reality
and the recent past confront me,

my fiancé is walking towards us.
He is angry. Furious even but is lost for words,
no explanation, my engagement ring, succulent rubies,
on a gold band meant for eternity,

I throw it into the gutter. He spent all day deciding
on what to buy for Saint Valentine's Day. He will never
see my reaction because tomorrow is not a memory
he will ever share with me.

 

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