Severance

I saw him in the frozen food,

clutching a bag of peas.

I felt the old, familiar mood

begin to buckle at the knees.

I didn't have to say a word

or manufacture any light.

The things he said I never heard,

I simply walked out of his sight.

There is a box of silver wire,

the staples thick and blunt.

I didn't set the place on fire,

I just stopped working at the front.

It’s quiet on the counter now,

a half-full, useless weight.

I never had to make the vow

to carry all that hate.