The Missing Jacket
Cynthia Long 1963 (Indiana)
Once had a very good close caring friend
I thought the great times would never end
My boyfriend and I visited him habitually everyday
For many movies we watched, and games we’d play
One night my boyfriend left his gray jacket, I went to retrieve it so he wouldn’t worry
I returned to our friends to pick it up, have a short visit so I could leave in a hurry
When I arrived my good friend was acting very odd, very strange
I gave him a big hug and I could feel in him, there was a change
This wasn’t like him, and I felt in my mind I should leave
He seemed out of character , and I felt of doom and grief
We visited in his garage, which was also not normal
It was just an unannounced trip, it wasn’t to be formal
I noticed when I stepped in all this red paint he had spilled on the floor and ceiling
My thoughts of dread and darkness, I had stumbled in on was quite a scary feeling
As we were talking, he started slowly pulling down each blind.
I felt like I was a trapped animal, but I kept quiet in my mind
Soon, I heard a noise like a crying cat behind boxes, and I heard something fall
He said it was his cat that was playing nothing to worry about, wasn’t anything at all.
I cleared my voice and then said all of a sudden, well I must go soon
That my boyfriend was waiting for me, and it was almost noon.
He said you’re right, I know how he gets when you’re not on time
I gave him a hug and hurriedly left, didn’t want to impose on his chime.
I left quickly without the gray jacket, and I really didn’t care
Just wanted to leave, there no more words for me to share
Two days later we read in the paper with fear
Our friend was arrested, that had been so dear
He was arrested for murder and rape
The fear of reading this we could not escape
Fearing we’d soon be contacted by the authorities
We didn’t talk about this to anyone, it was a priority
No one ever contacted us, and we were quite relieved
This is the story that my grand-kids will never believe.
I always wondered if I had disturbed him that day
And if I could have been next, if I decided to stay
Many years later, I will never tell exactly
Just glad that it’s over and I feel quite lucky
About this poem
True story about a scary experience in my past
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Submitted on January 23, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:17 min read
- 2 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AA BB C C DD EX FF GG HH II JJ KK LL MM NN XC XE BB CC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic octameter |
Characters | 2,197 |
Words | 457 |
Stanzas | 19 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
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"The Missing Jacket" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/118353/the-missing-jacket>.
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