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.