No One Would Be Home by Noelle Kocot

No One Would Be Home by Noelle Kocot (This poem can be found in The Bigger World. Published by Wave Books)


Ann finally let go of her
Dead husband. She wrote him
A letter, burned his name in
A candle on her stove,
She took his aftershave
And razor that were sitting
On her dresser and threw
Them away. She then took
His pictures that lined her
Computer desk and put them
All on the dresser. She felt
The need to tell the world,
But now the world looked
So big, and Ann was small,
Like her name. Would she ever
Find someone new? What
God wills. She wasn't at all
Concerned, but needed to be
Ready to obey. She took
The garbage out and had
Some iced tea. She called
Her best friend and left a short
Message. Dinner was imminent,
And tonight it would not be alone.
She quieted herself, she
Quieted herself, and realized that
When she left, no one would be home.

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The reason I really enjoy this poem is because it just reads very quietly, yet the realization that one's husband is dead and nobody will be home when she left is incredibly heartbreaking. I love how it says everything without saying anything overly emotional. "But now the world looked/So big, and Ann was small,/ Like her name." Instead of being dramatic and emotional she writes passages like this that sum her feeling up very simply and brilliantly.