An Event in Context

Blank Verse Poetry

Once again there was silence in my office room.

The air conditioner above my couch whirred on. I picked up the first transcript from the stack that Janine had just placed on my desk. The sun went down behind me. It was three o'clock now. I tiredly rubbed my eyes and placed the story in the rejected pile. I picked up the second manuscript from the stack. It was slightly heavier than the last one. I groaned in anguish.

I finished the second story at seven o'clock. Unsurprisingly it went straight to the rejected pile. Three empty chinese-food takeout boxes were stuffing my little black trashcan.

I yawned. Almost all of my employees had already left. I smiled knowing there would soon be silence in the office. I picked up the final transcript. There was no title. It was an odd choice but not something particularly special. Definitely nothing special.

Oh how wrong I was.

The first sentence almost made me toss it into the rejected pile. But at the same time, it caught my eye.

        "It was 1934. Chicago. I hate men."

Dammit. I didn't want to read a feminist manifesto. But I continued out of curiosity.

        "All men are pigs and animals ."

        "What is this trash?", I thought to myself.

        "All the men in my life have hurt me. Dad, Uncle Beck, and now you. All of you never cared about who you hurt."

What. Am. I. Reading?

        "You stupid utter disgrace. I loved you. I trusted you. I always loved you. I thought you loved me too."

Silently, I thought of my wife but continued reading.

        "But how could someone like you love me? You were too unattainable. A beautiful person you were. You were absolutely perfect. Sometimes, at night, I still think about you. About how it all began.

Again I thought of my wife. I leniently skipped a few pages and softly read. 

        "We fell in love the summer of 1922. I was in college as a junior studying medicine. You were the first mate on the S.S. Tiger. I remember when I asked you about the ship and you said it was the most magnificent boat on the sea. I remember you took a large graceful bow when you said you were the first mate. I laughed at the gesture. You took me by the arm and brought me to see it. It truly was magnificent. Your captain laughed at us and teased you about bringing me."

I looked at the clock. It was a little past eight. I continued to read.

        "You were three years older than I was. On that magnificent ship you brought me to France. To Belgium. To Austria. Honestly, you fulfilled my dreams. Honestly, you were my dreams."

I wiped a tear from my eye. For the rest of the night I read this captivating story.

        "For four years we lived the happiest life anyone could ask for. We didn't make much money but we saved everything. You did freelance journalism and I took care of the house. We bought a house in a New York suburb. It was perfect. You and I, the unstoppable duo, we did everything we ever wanted to. It was truly perfect.

I felt uncomfortable in my chair again and tried to adjust it. I pulled a lever too hard and the chair collapsed in on itself. I said screw it, sat down again, and then stared at the story for an unusually long time.