11-13-2013, 11:07 AM
Guilt
Guilt sits on its haunches and stares,
panting at my feet, begging at the table,
peering through the half-closed window of night.
A[/b] constant companion, unwanted but present -
like a drunken neighbor by the pool.
The child next door believes that she,
and she alone, caused her mother to cry,
her father to leave, her brother to wail,
as if the world itself was ending.
I scrub at the guilt on my own skin,
yet it clings to me, deep red stamen
stain of lilies on my blouse,
the lingering scent of ripened flowers -
when was I in that garden?
Guilt sits on its haunches and stares,
panting at my feet, begging at the table,
peering through the half-closed window of night.
A[/b] constant companion, unwanted but present -
like a drunken neighbor by the pool.
The child next door believes that she,
and she alone, caused her mother to cry,
her father to leave, her brother to wail,
as if the world itself was ending.
I scrub at the guilt on my own skin,
yet it clings to me, deep red stamen
stain of lilies on my blouse,
the lingering scent of ripened flowers -
when was I in that garden?