Mark Jackley

Breaking Up

We picked up lethal shards of glass
from the carpets and the stairs.
Put twisted picture frames
and ripped-up photos into piles.
Yanked my daughter's bicycle
out from under barbells,
swept up shattered dishes,
vacuumed cat shit in the hall.
Wiped the now bare walls.
Stared at busted lamps
and splintered chairs.
The entire time, we uttered not a sound.
Then we tossed it all into big black bags
and left it on the curb,
where under the morning stars
it disappeared for good.

—From There Will Be Silence While You Wait


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Mark Jackley is the author of three chapbooks, most recently Cracks and Slats (Amsterdam Press). His first full-length collection, There Will Be Silence While You Wait, is available from Plain View Press. He lives in Sterling, VA.