in the small things

I
Rage stinging in the teeth marks sunken into a bottom lip.
Defiance written in the wrinkles of a jacket snatched from the hatstand.

II
Futility sinking in with the coolness of a steering wheel against a forehead.
Despair crouching in the empty tissue box waiting to be thrown out.

III
Regret looped around the key returned in an envelope two weeks later.
Resignation taping shut the box containing the other coffee cup.

Coda
(She wakes to the clear light of sunrise one day and finds
she is content to wait for another story to begin.)