“postcard from hell”

i held the postcard
with the picture
of the tidy kitchen
in my hand
and refused
to face
the reality
of the message
on the reverse
instead i wallowed
in memories
which jangled nerves
long frayed
by solitude
of separation
haunted
by displacement
by a replacement
of inferior
intellect
beauty
sexuality
and knew
i had erred
when i thought
my glorious love
could never
be destroyed
in that instant
when a man
sees a girl
his world
turns upside down
shakes loose
his wife
and children
condemns them
to lives
of bitter insecurity
and self doubt
brought
to a boil
in tidy kitchens
like the one
on the postcard
from hell

(Inspired by Raina Ng’s photo, madison-woods.com, Friday Fictioneers, October 05, 2012.)