pamela seong koon
THE PERFECT ENDING
As a little girl I always believed
hearts were made of spun sugar
and never melted. Every house
knew warmth and shepherd pies
and the crossed paws of a pet. So
imagine my shock when my father
aged to thunder, the floor cold
to touch, the weather forecast
being told in percentages. Tomorrow
there is a 50% chance of rain
but there is no way to half
a backlash. There is no way
to half the hands that shrivel
like a snail backing to its shell. This
time, it is me that wants out,
yet I fail to detach from a house
without a beating heart and
a door. A forecast tells me
that there is nothing wrong
with leaving. That leaving
allows a downpour to
peel itself to sunshine. A
pet left behind is still
eternally loved. I know that
I am braver for learning
that spun sugar will always
melt in rain.
Pamela Seong Koon is a Singaporean port worker and a multi-hobbyist on their off days. Their work has been published or is forthcoming in superfroot, Alien Literary Magazine, and OF ZOOS. They can be found at http://pamelaseongkoon.me.
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