seven days of definitive absence (and maybe agony)
and of long-gone opportunities -

agony, the double-edged sword
perpetually tormented when two pairs of eyes lock
unfathomable liquid depth
and just a second - maybe one more and one more and then forever
slides away
slight tug in the chest, a burning friction, constriction
inexorable erosion and then

a sour-rimmed release;
intransigence.
revealed Jeffrey Fritz when the clock struck 8:52:00 PM