The Man's Love for His Wife

The man's memories of his wife, their love, and her suicide.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Dream of Her

The Phantom The Pale Bride In dreams, his pale bride comes to him, dressed in gauze, with combs of ivory. She smiles, but the dream is a call of languor and death. The Memory of the Theatre He recalls sitting in a theatre with her, holding her hand. The music, the gold scrollwork. He wishes he could freeze that frame and be damned. The Loss She is gone, and he cannot remember her scent. Her death is a wound that never heals. He thinks of her as a faithless slut, but he loved her.

The Photograph in the Road

The Discard The Billfold The man removes his billfold from his pocket, worn and holey. He spreads out the contents: money, credit cards, a picture of his wife. He pitches the leather into the woods. The Photograph He holds the photograph, then lays it down in the road. He stands, and they go on. It is a symbolic letting go. The Guilt He thinks he should have tried to keep her in their lives, but he doesn't know how. He says her name aloud in the dark. The boy hears him and says he wishes he was with his mom. The man tells him not to say that.

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