Jar of Wishes

A Poem

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

do you feel the world ending
in slow gasps?

i asked you that question one night —
and you looked at me through the haze
and couldn’t seem to differentiate
between what was real and what was fake

you said it was just a dream —
go back to sleep, darling —
but i got up and paced back and forth
in the little corner room we made our own

and when i closed my eyes
i saw a million wars
all happening in real time
in a rush like aching

and when i closed my eyes
i saw a smoke-filled room
just for us two,
the fire eating us both up

it felt electric,
it felt hellish,
it felt real,
it felt mine

and i traced my blue nightgown —
the one you liked with its butterfly promises —
before i went to stand beneath the shower head,
the cold water like freezing as it poured over my head