---

The once marital home

now entombed in the past

ghostly hands that hold tight

preventing all thoughts of escape

clutch tightly onto lost dreams

that flutter and fade

dust fairies in the wind

caught in a sun beam

that squeezes through the dense fog of my mind

warmth on upturned cheeks brings attention again

to the task at hand that seems endless unforgiving

a chastisement of failure

a reminder of hopes now discarded into the grey-lidded bin

overflowing with objects from a former life

no longer cherished but a thorn that prickles the vein

with disappointment

seemingly never shall pass

through time flowers fade

a transparent grey reminder of the death

of a marriage of a home

of a once planned out future

a shadow of my former self

to be left behind

as I step out into the bright sunlight

across the threshold that once brought joy

and onto a new path a new journey

a new place I will call home. 

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Julie Missen is the author of the Detective Inspector Morgan series, as well as psychological thrillers, children’s books and poetry. Her writing focuses on the darker, hidden sides of life, delving into the dynamics of human relationships. Her work is set in Suffolk, and draws from the fragile beauty of its landscapes, both in the urban and natural environments.

• Website: jdmissen.co.uk
• Instagram: @Juliedmissen_author