Kelly Douglas

A Story About The Hollow Where My Stomach Should Be

I look in the mirror, and all I can see is a hollow where my stomach should be.

I look deep into your eyes; brimming with warmth and kindness, and suddenly, I’m 20 again.

I refuse to become a pawn in your game of manipulation; cowering in a corner as your ruthless mistruths mount before me.

I promise to love you for eternity; to devote my heart to preserving your soul and lifting your spirit.

Create your own magic because life won’t change itself.

They leave me high off a blissful euphoria as I long to hold onto every coveted syllable, hoping I can remain among the clouds for eternity.

But at last, you have arrived, every bit as magnetic as I had dreamed, and you are indubitably worth the wait.

The truth is, my absence is not your fault.

In the vast expanses of my mind, my thoughts fade away like a melted snowfall, and as the runoff flows away, all that remains is you.

This fall, I’m falling for you, caressing you as the leaves swirl around us in a rustic haze, cherishing you as we kiss beneath the cool moonlight.