The Woman I Once Knew
Some days, when no one was looking, she would pretend to be someone else.
A little note would be left up, "Sorry, i'm out. Please come back later."
Sometimes it would be scribbled on a receipt or a post-it - the words all crammed together,
but polite.
Outside there was always a summer quality to the air, warm and heavy it baked the hairs on her arms pleasantly.
Little breezes would stir past her, blowing air as a chill gift from the sea.
As someone else she told herself, "The ocean can't be far. I can smell the salt spray."
When she was outside she could go anywhere she wanted.
Around a corner she could see the haze-waves from the blacktop leading to the beach.
When she reached where blacktop met sand, she stripped off her shoes and socks
- left them abandoned on the road, set side-by-side, socks and laces tucked within.
Even as the sand grew hotter underneath her feet, the little breezes grew stronger and cooler.
When the sand was finally cool and moist under her feet she paused and stripped off the rest of her clothing.
After all, no one was looking. The crumpled remains of someone's half-forgotten life.
She didnt so much wade into the ocean as she took it around her like a new-found lover.
"How long have I been gone? How much have you forgotten? I fit so neatly in your arms."
A little note would be left up, "Sorry, i'm out. Please come back later."
Sometimes it would be scribbled on a receipt or a post-it - the words all crammed together,
but polite.
Outside there was always a summer quality to the air, warm and heavy it baked the hairs on her arms pleasantly.
Little breezes would stir past her, blowing air as a chill gift from the sea.
As someone else she told herself, "The ocean can't be far. I can smell the salt spray."
When she was outside she could go anywhere she wanted.
Around a corner she could see the haze-waves from the blacktop leading to the beach.
When she reached where blacktop met sand, she stripped off her shoes and socks
- left them abandoned on the road, set side-by-side, socks and laces tucked within.
Even as the sand grew hotter underneath her feet, the little breezes grew stronger and cooler.
When the sand was finally cool and moist under her feet she paused and stripped off the rest of her clothing.
After all, no one was looking. The crumpled remains of someone's half-forgotten life.
She didnt so much wade into the ocean as she took it around her like a new-found lover.
"How long have I been gone? How much have you forgotten? I fit so neatly in your arms."