Change of Heart
Bags filled
He left
She wailed
An empty closet
An empty dresser
An empty heart
And then
Little by little
She filled the empty spaces
With her things
With her hopes
With her desires
Expanded her world
Grew wings
Became a butterfly
Sipped the nectar of life
Then he returned
But change had occurred
No longer confined in a chrysalis
She lived her life
As a butterfly
Mary Janicke is a gardener and writer living in Texas. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Green Ink, Honeyguide, Blue Lake Review, and elsewhere.