Leaving March 2016 Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Nici's leaving within a week, today the 22nd
she leaves Wednesday the 30th, my heart's
melting and knees grow weak, I'm stuck in a
long, dark emotional tunnel, empty & strange,
my head's too heavy - my temples drawing
closer together, my ears grow too sensitive
to sounds, the result is that

Everything good, everything going well and
the way going straight, is affected by this dark
coloration of skewed perspective, I can't do
a thing - I stare at my translation document,
flee from conversation, falling down a night-
mare hole of cold, sad, wet loneliness - this
is madness and I won't say it aloud

Writing it down is bad enough, I can't listen to
music as my feelings keep sinking beneath it
then the vibration becomes irritation, I wish to
change myself and be happy - yet the stream
of quiet desperation keeps washing me down…

Leaving 30 March 2016