XI. Sarah

I remember when you were still afraid of the dark,
Your clammy hands clamped closed on the blanket,
Furtive eyes and liquid lips,
holding to Brownian motion.
A flighty girl, a Brownie in motion.
The laughable notion
That I could weather you.
Though you're the one who needed a tender hand.
You shined the light on my inadequacies--
The harsh judgment of a morning hearing,
Before the coffee has done its work,
And grief given no quarter or consideration.
Short-tempered coupling,
Sparks
Flew.
You kept me on a lark,
A starboard promise that never followed through.
Because there wasn't fear enough.
To justify the expense.