It's great to take off in a plane
and leave him behind
and have miles between us
buffering us
But then
the awful time comes when
I have to return
to emptiness and hurt.
A big empty house
waits
the walls higher
and wider than before.

I hate getting there.
The house used to be
warm and cozy
but now it is cold
even with the heat turned
up to the high eighties.