My Ex Knocked
by A.J. Huffman
on my front door at midnight, forgetting
the pre-hyphenated portion of his title.
Forgetting I did not live
alone. Forgetting all the abusive behaviors
of his past. I answered, furious
at his presumptions. Furious at my lack
of ammunition. Blasted him
with words instead. I did not forget
to remind him Florida is a stand-your-ground
state. Punctuated with a door slam to his face.
Let the silence that followed echo
like the gunshot that never came.
the pre-hyphenated portion of his title.
Forgetting I did not live
alone. Forgetting all the abusive behaviors
of his past. I answered, furious
at his presumptions. Furious at my lack
of ammunition. Blasted him
with words instead. I did not forget
to remind him Florida is a stand-your-ground
state. Punctuated with a door slam to his face.
Let the silence that followed echo
like the gunshot that never came.
I Went to Hell
by A.J. Huffman
to meet flames that had already burned
me. The addict who swore
he was water, that I could not break
him. He was right. I was
glass, disappeared
beneath his touch. The teddy
bear who could not speak three
monosyllabic words. He pretended
life for six
years, failed
at acting shocked when I pulled
the plug and my support. The manic
who was really a monster,
devoured my mind, spit
my body out in pieces of sand.
He called me
hourglass, but I was already
empty, expecting
the magicless toll of midnight
to turn us both back into ash.
me. The addict who swore
he was water, that I could not break
him. He was right. I was
glass, disappeared
beneath his touch. The teddy
bear who could not speak three
monosyllabic words. He pretended
life for six
years, failed
at acting shocked when I pulled
the plug and my support. The manic
who was really a monster,
devoured my mind, spit
my body out in pieces of sand.
He called me
hourglass, but I was already
empty, expecting
the magicless toll of midnight
to turn us both back into ash.