Daily missive for Friday the 9th of September.

‘God bless Liz’

Lizzie lit a candle

There was reverence in the act

She knew it had significance

Even as it dampened down her expectation

She would like to believe he was waiting,

Her light in the darkness

But it was just her wish to be safe,

The lights in the hall were motion sensitive.

Sometimes it was the only thing she had

To remind her that she was still alive

Corporeal, flesh and blood

Taking up space and displacing

A volume of air.

She worried the light would not ignite

Leaving her alone in the dark

At the end of the hall

Worried she was not alone

Or worse…

Oft times she thought that might be the lesser evil,

“Perhaps he is here and will protect me”,

It is what moved her

When the paralysis struck, her body ceasing to respond

To her command,

Leaving her to stand at the door

Holding herself up,

Hand glued to the handle

Fingers frozen, in a bone-hard, icy grip.

At such times she believed it to be her end,

Her spirit flown,

The last of her consciousness slowly waning

The sad old sack of her, drying

Into an empty husk.

Until with a little spit and stutter

The overhead lights fizzed on

Hesitating, blinking,

One at a time in a long line

From her door to the end

Where the glass wall reflected

The image in reverse

And she recoiled.

All she saw was a shrivelled old crone

Nobody she could recognise

But possibly somebody she should know,

Wearing a floral print dress

A Norman Hartnell original,

Worn a long time ago for a holiday in the Med

When she still had hope.

Had she been burgled?

Was this the thief?

Until it registered

The garbage bag was hers

There was a reason she stood there

It was time to take out the trash

The bin men were due,

In the morning

And she still had a civic responsibility

To protect the environment

From falling into wrack and ruin

A paradise lost to the demons, she feared

Were always hiding in the shadows

She reasoned if there was room for heaven

This must be hell

Not that she truly believed

But perhaps, maybe and nevertheless,

Why take unnecessary risks

If they could be avoided.