Red Umbrella

Image by Christina Burchett

Red Umbrella

He took her heart and put it in a jar
labelled 'used specimen'.
He smiled when he placed the lid on it.

He left her for her best friend who
in the past he'd referred to as
'juvenile and insipid'. And to think she
had encouraged this very same girl to buy
control underwear and blonde highlighting shampoo
(with a hint of infidelity).

He walked away with his music collection
in a red bag: 80s glam rock and the top 100
supermarket music hits.

All his secrets were in that bag:
a poem from his first girlfriend,
his stamp collection and a letter
from the tooth fairy saying
'Thank you for your lovely tooth'
in his mother's handwriting.

He left her, walking casually away
with his little red bag.
She would forgive him for everything,
eventually.

But not for taking her red umbrella.
What would she do now if it rains?

Brigid O'Connor

Posted over on her site Sort of Writing
Listed as #33 over on Magpie Tales 80