The One I Leave Behind

If I tiptoe away,

shattered heart in one hand,

red sandals clutched in the other

slipping through the back porch door,

how long will it take ‘til

you notice I am gone?

Will you suppose

I had run an errand

and forgot to leave a note?

Will you rub your eyes,

frown and wonder why

I hadn’t said good-bye?

Will you leave the kitchen light on

when you go upstairs

waiting for me to tiptoe back?

Or

Will you slump

in your overstuffed chair,

ignore the fears

churning within you

and hide behind pages of your book?

Will you bow your head

to your chest

knowing the day

you’d been dreading

had arrived?

Will you wonder,

as you blink away your tears,

if I’ve been as lonely as you,

trapped within patterns

of hiding that

we created years ago?

Will you wring your hands together,

look backwards into time,

wonder when

I stopped opening

my heart to you?

Will you slam your heart’s door

against me,

fortify that

invisible,

every-growing wall

of anger and pride?

Will you see the sliver of light

beaming through the opened door

I slipped through

or

will you hide

behind shadows

of yesterdays’ memories?

When I tiptoe away,

shattered heart in one hand,

red sandals clutched in the other,

will you hear the deafening silence

I leave behind?