She sits in her car.
Staring out the windshield.
At the plants that sway in the wind.
So simple.
She takes a deep breath,
and reaches for her earbuds.
Gone!
Her heart jumps,
pounding like a freight train in her chest.
She digs in her bags to
no avail.
Her hands shake.
She takes a deep breath,
calms and gathers her strength.
No distractions this day,
no music to drowned the nerves,
to stop the jumping.
Gathering her bags she steps out.
Scanning the lot of cars,
no one is sight.
She pulls her hood lower over her head,
Her eyes meet her feet clad in simple sneakers.
Be invisible,
Don’t see me.
She begins the endless
walk,
Her body tenses with each step.
She tries to stay calm.
Every skittering critter,
every footstep of the stray passerby,
makes her heart jump.
She wraps her hand around the knife
nestled in her pocket.
The cold of the metal and a deep breath.
She won't be touched again.
Not again.
She stops in her tracks.
The path ahead elongates,
her vision spins,
salted water warps the tainted spot.
Squeezing her eyes shut
the water flows.
She breathes deep
and tightens her grip on safety.
One breath again
and the water slows.
She opens her eyes.
The world is right.
No!
The world will never be right.
Never again!
She takes a step.
Her body trembles.
Her grip tightens further.
Step by step.
She takes her power back.
He won’t control her life.
