- Brian Sankarsingh
The Letter
His smell lingers in the musty bedroom air
His side of the bed still unslept
A thought begins to gnaw, a doubt, a fear
One she was still unwilling to accept.
He’d been spending more time away from her
Work consumed all of his time
Now she felt all alone without succor
Marriage without reason, love without rhyme.

One thirty a.m. the door quietly closes
A fear grips her heart like a vice
Doubt like a wild monstrosity grows
Would her heart pay the final price?
She hears him moving around in the kitchen
A beer bottle cap falls to the floor
She held her breath to better listen
And the doubt keeps on eating her core.
It went quiet for an hour or more
Did he fall asleep on the chair?
Not a sound, not a breath or a snore
Now the doubt consumed even the air.
Quietly she went down the stairs
Maybe she would just bring him to bed
In this moment she realizes her fears
Through a letter on the counter unread.