a tear
has gathered
enough volume
to detach
from the corner of her eye
it now falls
toward the note
she has written

as gravity takes it
downward
it reflects the room
in which she sits
this chill morning

the angle of her face
and the position
of her note
cause the tear
to land just between
the a and i
in the last word
on the page

pain

© Joel Tipple