Truths and Lies at 4 a.m.

A Read Write Poem Essay Prompt! Part of the Games Poets Play series; one of these essays is true, the other is false. Can you guess which one?

Essay 1:

At 4 a.m. he held me captive. Well not so much captive as against my will. Well not so much my will, but against my better judgment. This is not to say I didn’t want to be with him. I just didn’t think this is where I would end up when the night was over; though I had hoped for it.

He took a seat on the couch and urged me to sit down next to him. So much closer than the last time we were in this situation. It didn’t take long for him to press his lips against mine and I didn’t fight. I was thankful for this second chance.

We shifted for hours; me on top of him, him on top of me, our lips barely parting, but our bodies barely crossing the line past PG-13. He fell asleep with his arms around me.

***

Essay 2:

At 4 a.m. I left his house and headed to my own home. As I walked through the door I was immediately overcome with loneliness; wishing I had stayed with him longer. All night I told myself I wouldn’t go home with him. I wouldn’t let myself fall back into his trap. Last time didn’t end well; a truth I have had to remind myself of often.

I took off my makeup, changed into sleeping clothes, and curled up on the couch with my dog. I fell sleep imagining him with his arms around me and had the sweetest dreams. His lips pressed against mine, his hands shifting to experience every curve of my body, my hands running from his head to his shoulders to his chest.

In the morning I wondered why reality couldn’t be as gentle as this, but this was pure fiction and only in my head.