Home

The timid rain touches her shoulder as she stares

through sapphire windows at an empty hearth,

filled with spent flame. Distantly,

she hears the warped doorframe

complain as she enters.

He waits

in the dining room, a small feast

going stale before him.

From the bedroom, a cat howls

for a moment -

a deep, longing wail.

All the signs are there. Still,

the tremor takes you all

by surprise. The Earth quakes, screaming

from its core as the foundation cracks, shaken

by the sudden violence. Then,

silence.

The man sits stunned, staring

through the mess, not sure

where to start, displaced

in an infinite minute. In time,

she knows the structure

will recover, so she moves on, shattered

knick-knacks scattered everywhere.

She leaves the man

at the table, wooden, rooted

to the memory of home.