‘God bless Liz’
‘God bless Liz’
Lizzie lit a candle
There was reverence in the act
She knew it had significance
Even as it dampened 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.