Urban Hollow

The girl making herself invisible
against the interior wall
wears a body language
that says I take up too much space
and if you join me
we will take up much too much space.

Her hands tucked behind her back
pull her body into the wall.
She is half way into the wiring.

The inexplicable physics
of this passing through flowered wallpaper
without bruising a single bloom
confounds Paul.

He smiles and waves.

This accelerates the process
as her legs push against the floor
so the remainder of her torso
passes the drywall, framing and nails.

Paul walks quickly to the door
and outside to a point
opposite where she was inside
with the expectation of seeing her
among the thorny roses.

If she is there, she is shadow
along a part of the house
where the lights do not reach.

Paul returns inside,
presses his hand against the wall.
His finger tips detect the slight tap
of her heartbeat.

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copyright © 2019 Kenneth P. Gurney