To Adeline

By: E. Perez

Locked in the cupboard under the bed,

My dearest Adeline wept for escape.

But I would never her go, so instead,

I whispered sweet nothings, small loves, set the bait.

She’d beg to hear the lock click,

Said food tastes sweeter when scarce.

Likes the dim light candles as they flick,

And stares at the wall with no cares.

Her comfort’s in the single blanket strewn

Across the floor, and a worn teddy bear.

She never removes the nightgown she’s long outgrown,

And I love, once I open the door, her insane, lost stare.

Locking up our desires, making them secret,

Makes us love them more, makes us wild and complicit.