You said no
I found a dead
preying mantis
on my picnic
table today and wondered
what omen
this predicted.
Tonight
a chapter
closed
as you said no
for the final time.
I had asked you
to go to
counseling:
you said no.
I had asked you
to stop yelling
at me and threatening me:
you said no.
I had asked you
to stop calling
us names:
you said no.
I had asked you
to manage your
money:
you said no.
This last time
I had asked you
to pay a
portion of your half, your part
to show you
care:
again, you said
no.
I will ask no
longer.
Tonight, under
the full moon,
I walked behind
your house
and on your car
I placed the last
item of yours
I was holding
on to:
the Christmas
stocking I meticulously made
with your name
on it.
In this gesture
I set you free
and let go of
the man I saw:
the man you
could have become.
You said no too
many times.
The preying
mantis still lies
lifeless
on my table
outside,
no longer the
predator
hunting and
seizing those
vulnerable
souls
unfortunate
enough to leave open
hearts and wallets,
unprotected.
Tansy Julie Soaring Eagle Paschold
September 3, 2020
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