Wife in Watercolors
by Johannah Simon
Wife in Watercolors
she hides her tightly bundled lie
knotted with baker’s twine and buried deep
where no one will find it
concealed in her heart
layered under tissue and bone
at night, her secret aches to escape
attempts to cleave through muscle, sinew, and flesh
determined to break free
works its way out of her body into the quiet stillness of her room
she frantically grabs as it slides between her fingers
eludes capture
her shame blossoms in the cool evening air
stretches
balloons
fills her room
floods her house
spills into the street
expands to fill the sky