The Woman About to Be Sawed in Half

Angel's Flight, Vol. 5.2 (1980)

Greg Boyd

after months of mounting tension,
weeks of hysterical waiting,
after savoring the infidelity
that silently rubbed you raw,
you decide it must be finished:
too late to explain, you insist
he dress in black, curl his moustache,
and sharpen the saw, while you
lie helpless watching
the amazed, sympathetic faces
of family, neighbors, and friends
shake solemn as a tragic chorus,
satisfied to know you were right.
poised in the final silence
as he tests the blade 
gently against your skin
and you urge him to rip,
do you think of sad children
pushing your wheelchair
on visits to your mother,
or do you plan to sew
yourself quickly back together
in a singles' bar?

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