THE RANSOM & THE SEQUEL

What if trust was the ransom

for the thing they believed

was being held hostage?

And, what if they gave it

freely, without the oversized 

black briefcase with the snazzy 

latches, might they then see

that there were no prisoners

or captors in the storyline

they’d been telling themselves

like a made-for-TV crime drama?

And, what if 

all that was really needed 

was a good old fashion heart-to-heart 

parlayed between one and the other 

of them where all suspicion got dropped

so that the strangers they’d become

gave way to the fondness and infatuation

they once felt?

And, what if by magic

they found themselves sitting 

side by side in one of their living rooms

with only truths to tell and tears to shed

and nothing, nothing to negotiate?

Yes, what if trust 

were truly in the room 

and on the table instead of 

all the hype and histrionics 

that so often squawked at them,

could they not then call off the dogs 

and the dragnet and just cuddle up 

on the coach before a roaring fire 

with a glass of red wine

and settle into a mediocre movie

just for old times sake?

And maybe, just maybe, 

as the credits began to roll,

hours later, they'd be willing 

to consider seeing, 

on another night, perhaps,

the romcom’s sappy sequel?