The Divorce of Mr. Nell

by The Poet Darkling


I always speak the truth –
regardless of its relevancy to the conversation –
and the truth is I knew she wanted it;
knew she was saving it expressly for after supper,
she’d told me as much
but I didn’t care… not right then.
The night was hot and I was thirsty.

I popped the tab and hesitated –
but only for a moment –
and then I threw caution to the wind
and I drank the last Dr. Pepper
in one slow, satisfying slurp.
It went down smooth and crisp
and I justified my crime
with underhanded mental apologetics
while simultaneously wondering
which of my friends
would lend me their sofa.

A pang of guilt stabbed at my mind;
fuck it.
There’s cherry fizz on my nose.
It tickles.

Opinions have become facts,
and facts have become irrelevant.

Who cares that she’s the mother of my children?
So what if she’s been saving it all day?
Why are her needs more important than mine?

My thoughts were dispelled by her step on the tile.

She went straight for the fridge,
Opened the door…

And nothing.

Not for a full minute at least.

Then, she turned and shot me a glance,
effectively serving me divorce papers with her eyes –
the last sigh of a flaming blade –
and I had a belly full of “see ya later!”
flavored like cherry cola with a cool name,
so I savored her sharp gaze
just as I had savored her cola
before making my final exit,
taking with me my well-earned trophy –
the empty can –
a symbol of my liberty.

 

Category: Poetry, SNHU Creative Writing, SNHU online creative writing, SNHU Student