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| Bingqian Li |
Jumping Off an Out-of-Control Train
Even long before they talked about honeymoons
Where she dreamed of Barbados
With horseback rides on the beach
And driving through citrus-splashed sunsets that were like paintings
She knew he couldn’t be moved from his desire
To hike the snow-covered trails out West
In the depths of the icy winter, which he assured her
Would be just as romantic as lying in the warm sand
With waves lapping at their feet
And they searched for a middle ground
Hoping like magic it would suddenly appear.
She should have stopped then
But she continued to make plans
Because she had boarded an out-of-control train
That was about to jump the tracks
As she held on tight.
But then the letter came and although she already knew
She pushed on and read the words
That had always been hanging in the air
And now finally crashed on top of her
Like an avalanche.
She stood rock still for a moment
Then with a deep inhalation of breath
As if she had just awoken from a dream
Or a nightmare
She grabbed the car keys
And raced outside
And drove past the strip malls
With their neon signs beckoning like Sirens
And the dilapidated hot-dog stand at the edge of town
Finally winding through the gnarled trees
Where hers was the only car on the hidden road that led down to the lake.
The warm air caressed her cheek as she sat
Gazing at the sun-dappled horizon
Its reflection playing on the still waters
While the crickets chattered noisily to her
And she dreamed, hoping to find answers
As the darkness encircled her.
Soon she roused herself
Realizing that the questions were gone
So she slowly bumped back down the road to town
And then farther, picking up speed
As she headed for the twinkling lights of the airport
Wishing upon a star
That when she got there
She would find there was a night flight to Barbados
© Nancy Machlis Rechtman
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Nancy Machlis Rechtman
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Nancy Machlis Rechtman has poetry and stories published in Writing in a Woman’s Voice, miniMAG, Discretionary Love, Young Ravens, and other publications. Nancy has had poetry, essays, and plays published in various anthologies. She wrote lifestyle stories for a local newspaper and served as the copy editor for another paper.
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