Musings by The Poet Loriet
The Perfect Crime
It was a crime of the heart.
They were punished
before they ever committed.
She was "punishing" him.
She with-held affection
because he was "lazy",
didn't do enough housework,
help with the kids enough,
work hard enough,
worked too much...
He was "punishing" her,
controlling her because
she had too much freedom,
didn't cook enough of her
home-cooked meals,
was too crabby with the kids,
didn't keep up
with the housework
or the Joneses...
At what point in a loving marriage
do two people become objects,
to-do lists, completely taken
for granted, their worth as a person,
an individual...lost forever?
Is it really any wonder that
the "punished" ones
developed peripheral vision
and found each other?
It all started perfectly
and could only end badly.
With one heartfelt kiss,
they fell in love...
Then they remembered
their leg irons,
and knew intuitively
that escape
could only lead to
them getting shot at dawn.
So, dragging their balls and chains,
they returned to loveless lives.
They dreamed of a day
when they would
no longer have to wear
safety orange.
Lori Beal
They were punished
before they ever committed.
She was "punishing" him.
She with-held affection
because he was "lazy",
didn't do enough housework,
help with the kids enough,
work hard enough,
worked too much...
He was "punishing" her,
controlling her because
she had too much freedom,
didn't cook enough of her
home-cooked meals,
was too crabby with the kids,
didn't keep up
with the housework
or the Joneses...
At what point in a loving marriage
do two people become objects,
to-do lists, completely taken
for granted, their worth as a person,
an individual...lost forever?
Is it really any wonder that
the "punished" ones
developed peripheral vision
and found each other?
It all started perfectly
and could only end badly.
With one heartfelt kiss,
they fell in love...
Then they remembered
their leg irons,
and knew intuitively
that escape
could only lead to
them getting shot at dawn.
So, dragging their balls and chains,
they returned to loveless lives.
They dreamed of a day
when they would
no longer have to wear
safety orange.
Lori Beal
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The Perfect Crime
The Perfect Crime
