Behind the Door

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

France 351

The knock came softly yesterday. Unexpected,
perhaps too late. Today she watches the bolted door
from inside, and waits. With trembling fingers, 
she summons the strength to turn the key,

To swing wide the barricades, to open her heart
and her trust yet again. She weighs the risks,
of losing another piece of who she used to be,
or gaining some back. She holds her breath.

There is no anger, no bitterness, her thoughts
tempered by the warmth of a childhood memory. 
Alas, today, a second look and a second knock
confirms what she had already known.

The sad knowledge that she wishes him well
without her seeps through the cracks. Wistful,
she peeps through the hole at a sacred promise
broken, and she stares in the face of guilt.

 

Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.
– Johnny Cash

Don’t let people disrespect you. My mom says don’t open the door to the devil. Surround yourself with positive people.
– Cuba Gooding, Jr.

A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that’s unlocked and opens inwards; as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push. 
– Ludwig Wittgenstein

*photo: Paris

26 thoughts on “Behind the Door”

  1. Jennifer, I like the underlying peace and strength she has to ‘wish him well’ but to also keep herself well. Some doors are best left shut, including the one that leads to bitterness. Beautifully poignant.

    Blessings ~ Wendy ❀

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  2. Now the doorway, not to heaven but to unpleasantness you prefer to shut out. Just like the people who like you and, with guiltless sense of detachment, have compassion for those who have wronged you. May be you can then open that door again and make it your passage to the moral high ground…best wishes… Raj.

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