From the Escapee

Dear Frowning Bride

Standing before the life

You believed you wanted,

All the conquests

He thought were his,

That you alone planned-

The ruined ties

And salvaged remains

Of a love that existed

Prior to your entrance,

You believed the tale he told

Of riches and celebrity

Of a heart throbbing

For only your beauty,

Your fruitful…mind

Only to find,

You were his road

To the success he had ruined

With his villainous ways,

You were the key he needed

To pry open the door

Previously closed,

Your own cunning

Cut you down,

And set free his previous prisoner,

And now you stare

From the bars you helped create

At the life she created

Among the wildflowers

And her loving husband,

The life she desired

All along

The quaint and quiet,

The cottage in the woods

Anonyme her guide

As she hides from the prying eyes

Of the likes of you-

While your own vows

Fill your mouth

With the bitter taste of poison

And you fear that tomorrow

Will indeed come

With another set of chores,

Another set of stairs

That you alone must climb

While the coward clings

To your frail back,

Set on bringing you down with him

If you can’t carry both-

All along his eyes linger

Searching for the next opportunity

A man never pleased

A trait you share-

And now you wonder

What happened to the life

You thought you watched,

You thought you spied

Through the lens of a camera,

Her smiling face

Only framed for a second-

The green grass beyond the fence

You thought existed-

Instead you have found

The land you coveted

As barren as his soul,

A trick played by light

Or lack of-

You reach for me,

The one who escaped

Crying of sadness you believed,

But no,

It was the taste of freedom

That you provided

That filled my eyes

With tears of rejoice-

The lifting of a weight

I never meant to carry-

And now I wish

You could taste the same

But if one of us must suffer

I am happy to say,

It will not be me.

Sincerely,

The Escapee.