As If I Had Seen the Fear In His Eyes
We were just moving in
And our neighbors down the hall
Decided to act neighborly
And invite us over for a visit
We were due for a break
Their apartment was cluttered
In an interesting museum-like way
Obviously the result of downsizing
They introduced us
To little winged patients
They were nursing back to health
It was therapeutic for them they said
As we were handed a drink
There was a curious serenity
About them that I quickly
Attributed to age
But there was something
Almost unearthly
In their listless eyes
Their exotic flair was palpable
We shook our heads
When we were mentioned
They had left California
To settle up here
Turns out
Paradise
Had lost its appeal
When they found
Their son in their garage
Lifeless
With blatant evidence
Of merciless torture
The rest of the visit
Was a blur
We left shaken to the core
I had the taste of his fear
Primal in my mouth
And felt trapped
In a lingering fog of terror
Not knowing what
To make of their inconceivable ordeal
And the price they must have paid
To attain this zen-like state
While their heart had to
Still be a fresh open wound
I suspect they were just really counting
The days till they met again
It so happened that
I never saw these neighbors again
But the memory
Will forever haunt me
Horrifying and disturbing
As if I had seen for myself
The deep-rooted primal fear in
Their poor child’s eyes
AP: 1st place 2020
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