Transactional
A toxic relationship.
Hello, excuse me...
The crackling voice on the phone held the same
Bitter, affluent tone that always preceded the
Transaction.
A tip of the hand already.
.
Are you well?
No, never.
Nothing even close to well, to all right, to acceptable.
I am the withering plant you swore to water
Two months back, choking on dry dirt and sunlight.
.
I hope you are.
It has the same rubbery feel as his lies.
Tastes the same, chalky and untrue, in my mouth
As I repeat it back to an empty house.
A stadium with no audience.
.
Listen...
It isn't a plea, not really, but a command.
The words wrap themselves around my throat
And demand that I hear past the letters
To the threat of violence looming large.
.
I need...
Money? Booze? Never something so simple.
What he wants is never something easy to obtain.
It's the old transaction of the heart.
He rambles out abusive words, I listen, and the world grows still.
.
I love you.
A rubber band snapping back to its form.
The lie is as ugly as the rest and as familiar too.
I mimic the response, spit out a few sympathetic apologies,
And the transaction is complete.
.
The call ends. The email signs off. The text remains unanswered.
I have fulfilled my end of the bargain.
He has given me a basket full of pain and I have fed him
His transactional sympathy.
About the Creator
Silver Serpent Books
Writer. Interested in all the rocks people have forgotten to turn over. There are whole worlds under there, you know. Dark ones too, even better.
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
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Comments (23)
So powerful - in how it rings true to life sometimes! Brillant!
Oh my. I just sat in silence for a few minutes after reading this. I felt every word in every fiber of my being. Painful. Brilliant. Profound.
Totally deserving of top story!
That last verse and "I love you. A rubber band snapping back to its form. The lie is as ugly as the rest" - powerful stuff. Congrats on the Top Story. You were bound to nab one with the sheer weight of quality pieces you've been smashing out lately. Well deserved.
Very representative of abusive or unfulfilled relationships, the word 'transactional'. Interestingly, it applies to non-'romantic' relationships as well. You do what is expected, while your heart cries out 'no!' This is very well done and the metaphors are perfect. Wonderful work!
Congrats! I enjoyed it!’
Ouch. This is fantastic, but ouch!
This is such a beautiful and relatable poem. I love the withering plant description. Congrats on the Top Story!
Oh wow, so incredibly descriptive and relatable. Congratulations on your top story
Congratulations on your Top Story 💓😘💖❤👍
congratulations on TS. This was truly excellent.
Congratulations on your Top Story
"I love you. A rubber band snapping back to its form. The lie is as ugly as the rest and as familiar too." I now call this emotional blackmail. This is a very sad reality. You have done an amazing job composing this.
I know that feeling all too well, I stopped giving them any part of me. Can't deal with people like that
How do you know my dad?
Congrats on Top Story!🥳
Beautiful written. Congrats on the TS.
Congrats on TS! This was powerful & so well written. I loved so much of this one, fav being the metaphor of being a dried out house plant.
Congratulations on top story :)
That last line was very powerful and too real. Excellent piece
Congratulations on Top Story!!! 💓💓
I have to agree with Kendall, this one will be with me for a while. Hauntingly and beautifully done. 💗
This is going to stick with me...