S. L. Alderton

Love Lock

It was a strong bridge
built to last a long, long time.
Cars drove over it.
People walked over it
a thousand at a time.
It never cracked.

Then one day,
too full of our promises and our longings,
you and I stood on the bridge.
We held each other tight against the rail.
We swore never to let go.
We kissed—

and the rail broke apart.
The cables snapped.
The bridge fell into the sea.

I had not considered the weight of love—
how one word can hold
a skyscraper in the air.
How one false promise can bend
a steel beam.
How one touch might be enough
to twist my spine and yours
forever.
If I had known,
I would not have carried love
so carelessly.

S. L. Alderton lives in Colorado. Her poetry appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of 2River View, Enchanted Conversation, and paperscissors.