The Punch Landed Before the Fist Did

24 April 2021 Saturday Poetry Prompt: the apparent contradiction

The punch landed a millisecond before the fist did. Felt the ache before the pain arrived – just disappointment more than anything else, I guess. Disillusioned that you saw the need to raise a hand, instead of simply having that conversation.

Looking up from the floor, not a bad place when the world is reeling — I knew things would never return to the way they were. Broken glass mends poorly. Broken hearts, sometimes not at all.

You said you were ashamed that I didn’t fix your problem – Awkward being the caretaker for someone else’s life – the custodian of misadventure, with a large broom that supposed to sweep up everything that couldn’t be left behind.

Stared at my cellphone off and on — daring it to ring — it didn’t. Didn’t buzz, didn’t hum, didn’t dance off the coffee table as I stirred my tea and ate three Digestives pondering life as a parent without the objects of one’s parenting still in place.

Who could see, what wasn’t coming until it brazenly kicked down your door? Who could tell, that the light at the end of that tunnel wasn’t the future, just the last light to be turned off, before everything went dark.

Contradiction is when a missed hello sparks a conflagration that sets your whole life ablaze. Contradiction is the widening space between two bodies, as the kiss falls desperately somewhere in between. It’s the heart still beating like it always did, without knowing the reason — has gone away.

They say that the heart wants what the heart wants. But “they” don’t really know what the fuck “they” are talking about. The heart beats whether you’re happy or sad. It hasn’t a choice — it only knows only thing. The head is where the pain resides. Where old careless decisions are stored, cleared out only when the mouth begins working again.

Yeah, the punch landed before the fist did. Tried to duck, but I was too late. Hadn’t really noticed, that it was thrown years before - and only just arrived.

This prompt made me think of an ongoing conflict that has been raging through my world for the past several months. Conflicts are like stones. The small ones sting a little when they hit. But the personal ones always seem larger and can hurt like hell. Even though the words appear “down” it’s just how they appear as they are passing through. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

J.D. Harms Dr Mehmet Yildiz Karen Madej Amy Marley Michele Thill Paul Myers MBA P.G. Barnett Harley King Caroline de Braganza ScienceDuuude Britni Pepper Kira Dawn Desiree Driesenaar Liam Ireland Gurpreet Dhariwal Paroma Sen Terry L. Cooper janny’s heart Adelia Ritchie, PhD jenine bsharah baines Dr. Preeti Singh Stuart Englander Noorain Hassan, BMS Holly Kellums