Milk Carton Missing Person

As I read the ink filled page,

And turn the sheets as if they

Were a funeral procession, I

Search for you amongst the

deceased and dearly departed.

Fear reaches for my throat like a

Snake grasping its pray.

It constricts my heart as my

Eyes skim each face and name.

Not you, not yet.

As my breath is released from my

Lungs, like the last bitter words that

Left my mouth aimed to inflict pain

On you. I think of the time that

has passed, and for a moment I

forget the anger the settles around my

shoulders like a scarf, reminding me

of the shelter it can provide,

and warmth of its comfort. As I

untangle the bitter cloth, I am reminded

of the one you gave me many Christmas’s before.

As memories overcome the worry, I see you

Out on the field after practice

I walk to meet you, unaware

of the hidden Sprinkler box,

broken beneath the tall grass.

Without much attention, I slip causing my

a piece of plastic to impale my leg.

As the blood trickled down, pain

And panic replaced the confusion. In an instant,

I ran to you with tears in my eyes, reaching

For your comfort. Even then your actions burned,

To match the brutal disinfectant, you

Sprayed on my wounded leg.

As I recover from the past

I prepare for a night that will

Expel me of your last name,

Allowing me to take on a new one.

As if I am a Chameleon, changing colors to

Discover the hue that I belong to.

I am no longer your shade of red,

the blood that runs in your veins.