Just as Empty as Before

She searches dark corners
Flashlight beams dancing
To illuminate a life she thought she had.
The darkness is empty, as before.

She pounds the keyboard
Searches for adverbs
To express the way her heart is afire.
Her words are hollow, empty as before.

She looks in his eyes,
Pleading for rescue
To find a buoy tucked against the gales.
His vacant eyes, just as empty as before.

She curses the darkness
Reaching for solace
To wrap her aching limbs around familiar skin.
But the dark bed is empty, as before.

So she fills up her days,
Reading and cleaning,
Swimming and dining
To erase the endless ticks of the clock.
But the measured days
Are just as empty as before.