He stood in awe
of the
structural settlement
she’d deemed
suitable for
herself

The impenetrably
thick walls

The height and length
in comparison
to him
almost diminished
him as a man

Twice he
found himself
seriously contemplating
doing an about face
and leaving her
trapped inside that
empty space

That solitary confinement she’d
decided to create

But he could
see
beyond the barriers

beyond that which had served
to separate them
over the years

Those walls
that
distorted the words
between the moment
his two lips
parted

and the actual introduction
of its sound into
her ears

And she’d swear
on a stack of
Bibles
that he wasn’t
sincere

He didn’t really love her

Couldn’t possibly
care –

not for real

So there she stayed
puzzling over
his true intentions
for the rest of her years

But he
Was long gone
by then…

Fed up
with the rejection
of standing outside brick walls
trying to one day
get in

He simply
walked away

leaving her
alone
with all
her baggage…