Movie Break-Ups

The movies always have great break-ups.
The leaving characters speak their perfect little speeches,
leaving the other characters shattered forever at the loss
they only realize as the door closes
on a perfectly impactful statement
of betrayal
and failure.

In real life,
we formulate those speeches,
and what happens?

Maybe we say them.
Maybe we say them more than once.
(why waste a great exit line on a loser?
well, okay, two losers...
three...)
Maybe we never get them out of our mouths.

Doors close without a word.
We carry wounds without even knowing we've been knifed.
We flail about without looking to see if we've struck soft flesh.
And sometimes we keep opening the same doors,
hoping that the furniture in those rooms has changed
without us having done anything
except to give a great exit speech
and walk away.


by Sara, copyright 2001, all rights reserved