Stuck Between Closing and Opening

Cold fingers pinch the zipper pull,

frozen in place, neither here nor there.

Fabric bunches, rough and unforgiving,

lungs tight with the tug of wanting to move.

Outside, the wind waits, sharp and patient,

watching the slow fight of metal teeth.

The jacket hangs, half-done,

a promise paused in the storm’s breath.

Like yesterday’s argument,

words caught halfway,

stuck between closing off and opening up,

a fight folding in on itself,

leaving nothing but silence

and a zipper that won’t give.