the empty dress

she leaves it at the bottom of the closet
too sentimental to toss it
piling shoes and boxes of old poetry over it
it won’t go away
make it go away
failed marriage, broken vows and it’s not all his fault
she learned lessons in those chapters
maybe.
learned how she wasn’t always right
too proud
walking out of the house after midnight, barefoot along highway
crazy
or something close to it
wanted to prove some kinda something
he never followed
in fact didn’t even know she’d left
sleeping soundly, content
badger slinked low in the bush
no one cared
years later
she sacrificed her own self
again
gave everything away
quit the big job
left her friends and family
flew thousands of miles to meet her new lover
no amount of fucking was enough
he never saw her magic
season of blindness
again
returning home
alone