Whispered Promise

To up and leave

for a whispered promise—

brushing against

unwritten stone.

I moan.

Just a sound to fill the hollow.

I don’t mean to

sound so monotone.

But I left behind

all I’ve ever known.

Do I land like a feather,

fallen from my flock?

Gently, tenderly

graciously welcoming.

Or like the snap of an alligator’s jaw—

No looking back,

swallowing every bitter memory

marching through the swamp

with bruised and scraped knees?

At first,

there’s excitement in unfamiliarity:

a snaring of the heart,

wild high hats of hope

and distorted jazz

paired with

a low beating drum,

a baseline of fear

throbbing under the ribs

vibrating,

pulsing, building,

with my swollen feet

reaching a clearing.

There,

the birds have taken flight

under the clear blue skies,

lies a pile

of restless reptiles.