by Nick Gisburne
Pretend, he said. Pretend I won’t be there.
Pretend I won’t be watching you tonight.
Forget me, in my comfortable chair,
In silence, in the shade, beyond the light.
Pretend, he said. Pretend you are alone,
Beyond the reach of any eager eyes.
Imagine every movement, every moan,
Is hidden from the man you most despise.
Pretend, he said. Forget about the knife.
Pretend there is no threat, no force, to fear.
Believe that I would never take your life.
Imagine I will simply disappear.
Pretend, she said, that this is not a gun.
Imagine every bullet when I’m done.
