Shoelaces

Suffer. Was hurt.

Lace slipped through his fingers.

Mercutio left his Romeo

to face the horrors of mankind.

Blind faith given sight,

Slavery given free will,

Promises of the old taken back.

He leaned flush against the wall

to slide to the floor.

The slave left his master

and abandoned all oaths.

He ripped apart the bond between them,

Setting loose the demons and tragedies of Pandora's Box

Untying the knots,

the strings of hope

that one day this Romeo wouldn't be alone.

Juliet proved faithless.

Unfaithful.

Treacherous

Leaving her Romeo to collapse into the arms of his beloved;

Beloved in rust.

The one who kept his secrets and knew his thoughts.

The slave who fought on his behalf

and slept by his bedside.

The first to see his face in the morning

and to take the time to cautiously knot—

to lovingly tie—the laces upon his shoes.

To form a bow. And confirm his place.

Death does ghastly things.

It severs ties.

And forces betrayal on even the most loyal.

Mercutio. The dead slave.

The lying, despicable dog.

The traitor and irresponsible, damnedest creature.

Shoelaces drifted to the marble floor

Frayed and

Untied.