Love in the Garden
by Maralee Gerke

Inside the protection
Of a blue-tiled portico
Hesitant—she stands
One foot on the threshold.

She longs to step out
But her heart holds her back.
Their passion arrived in that patch
of sun, during the afternoon heat.

This morning she woke
Her neck stiff from sleeping in a hard chair.
She remembered the kiss he blew
As he walked away.

Her toes clench
On the cold floor. Taking a breath,
She steps forward accepting the rejection
And begins to seek love once more.

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