Betrayed Poem by Mary Champion

As the silver moon holds sway over the tides,
drawing the waters inexorably towards it,
then carelessly letting them fall,
so, he had complete control of her heart.
Her entire happiness was rooted in him.
But these were fickle foundations on which to build a life.
She sensed he was engaged in some restless quest,
seeking something he never seemed able to define.
Time and again he left her,
plunging her life into a seething sea of misery.
Eventually she would regain something like an even keel,
at which point he would return.


Every time - like the pitiful fool she was,
she took him back,
attempting to draw a veil over the pain and suspicion.
And every time he betrayed her,
retreating again into his private misery,
then heading for the highlife,
or the wilderness.
She was never sure which.
Every time - until the last time.


On the occasion of his final return,
she had seen a difference in him.
This time she dared to hope,
to dream of a stable future with him.
But this time - the law intervened,
arresting him for unspecified crimes.
This time, when he left her,
it was for the gallows
and, though she knew he was irretrievably gone,
she spent the rest of her life
awaiting his return to her empty, aching arms.