The Flood

In those days, and also after, she had a child, a smile
She would look back
She remembered the laughter
It wasn’t hard, it wasn’t forced
But those calloused hands sing songs of remorse
But that man, if you can call him that
He packed his bags, walked out on them
And never looked back

Now she is all alone
Her boy, his face
A reminder of the pain she felt that day
When everything was changed

But that man, if you can call him that
Kept his foot on the gas
Took the turn too fast
And let the river consume him

No father at home
A pregnant mother and son
An emotional wreck
Led to the father’s death
She recognized the car from the newspaper she read
Closure was never an option
The vows that she read
Regret sinks its teeth in

But that man, if you can call him that
Paired with pain and neglect chose himself instead
He drowned to death
In his regret
Let the dead bury themselves