Roberta Tovey

Another Anne poem

That evening
Anne planned a suicide.
She disconnected the telephone.
Then she straightened the house,
            brushed the dog
            took out the garbage,
hid the dirty clothes in the closet.
She put on music she especially liked and filed her nails.

John was working late that night
so she knew she’d have plenty of time.
She took a shower,
dried her hair,
put on a new dress.

Her face didn’t matter, she decided,
putting away the mascara.

Then she took the dog for a long, slow walk.
She had lots of time.
She had a plan.
The details didn’t matter.
When she got home,
she’d have all the time in the world.

Roberta Eve Tovey has edited and published in the fields of business, healthcare, education, and the environment, and was an assistant professor at Clark University. She has her doctorate in English literature from Princeton University. Her poetry has appeared in The Mizmor Anthology. The Jewish Writing Project and Voices Israel