No Escape

She can't help but stare, heart full

Her fingers trace his face, his lips, the strong jaw

Careful not to wake him, marvelling at his beauty

Eyes filled with love, searching and failing to find a flaw.

As though aware of being watched, he opens his eyes and reaches out

There's a fire in his eyes, in her soul, the heat unbearable

But wait, no, it's all around them

The room erupting in a blaze so terrible.

The flames engulf him, he's drifting away, she screams

Trying to hold on, stop, don't go!

She's stumbling behind, legs disobeying, calling his name

When the ground beneath her gives, and she's falling into nothingness below

Eyes fly open, she sits up with a start

His sleeping form beside her, so handsome, so serene

A sigh of relief, it was only a nightmare

When he opens his eyes too, staring beyond her at a sight unseen.

Quickly she turn, even as the room dissolves in smoke

And now she's staring down the barrel of a gun

Gleaming, almost comical, like something out of a movie

A bullet in slow motion before she can scream or run

He leaps in front of her, shielding her view

Just as the bullet finds its destination

He looks down in surprise, blood gushing out as she cries out

No, it cannot be, there has to be an explanation.

Once more she jolts awake, drenched in sweat and heartbeat erratic

Another dream, another sigh of relief, a relief short-lived

For the bed's empty, he's gone only to never return

Leaving her with these nightmares every night to relive.