Cracks

Her feet stepped in stride.
Heels clicked into melody
too painful for words; she stepped over cracks
to get where she was going. 

Back and forth along open, jagged concrete lines
catching dark pain
and deceit.
Bodies, malice and time;
soaks and seeps into open cracks until a tomorrow
shows up again. 

Didn’t she know?

I stood over the cracks with her.  
My pleas and warnings fell into them too.
Maybe they mingled with the rest
in the black
somewhere;
dancing at least for a moment
before the cold burn turned
them to frost. 

I’d like to think so.  

That day came;
she and her heels were gone.
Her body
lay over the cracks
wide open; they catch last breaths too. 

Down.
Down.
Down; the open, jagged concrete lines
cupped salty water
falling from jawline;
hidden
in the dark. 

The cracks tasted them. 

Swallowed them. 

Not even tears—mine—
do the cracks let you keep.