Alice Faye’s Suppression

"No sun today," Mused Alice Faye,

The shyest gal west of the Mississippi,

It was impossible to sit and stay,

Farming requires work for survival.

Grabbing keys, coaxing the truck,

Roaring down Trihard Lane,

Praying that this day she'd have luck,

Not to cross paths with Travis.

Sputtered to a stop in the field,

Laying out posts and barbed wire,

Arranging the pattern while she kneeled,

The faint hum of the KTM found her,

Cursing quietly so God wouldn't hear,

Alice Faye busied, digging holes,

Pulse matching the engine so near,

Driving home was simply not an option.

Screeching brakes signaled an arrival,

Head down, Alice steadied the first post,

The tobacco scent gave away her rival,

It was Travis, and he was hell-bent.

"Sugarplum!" He drawled, spitting at her feet,

"Take a break with me by the lake."

Flashbacks of shame ignited facial heat,

Grabbing a sledgehammer, she ignored.

"Sweetheart." The tone was impending,

"Come now, I'll make you feel better."

Ironic, he was why she needed mending,

Courage mustered, she shook her head "no".

My what a fantastic, freeing feeling!

A new movement not once used,

Unscrewing rusted tools left her reeling,

Neck forced an unfamiliar fouetté.

Blinking rapidly, Travis rubbed his eyes,

Barks of laughter as he asked once more,

Insistence up, would "no" be her demise?

Courage ebbs, hands slack the hammer.

Alice Faye looked into that monster's face,

Flashbacks haunting her very core,

Strength returned as she stood her place,

Memories threatened to become future.

"No!" She swung the sledgehammer down,

Post nestled deeper in soil,

Others heard it four miles away in town,

But perhaps Travis lacked his senses.

He dared repeat what he already said,

Many times that day, and others before,

Made her so mad she slammed the lead,

Onto the post, screaming once more.

"No no! I won't go, you can't make me!"

Pounding easily on the next post,

Energy zapped through viens fiercely,

Using this power she rushed on and on.

Each slam of the hammer resulted a shout,

"No Travis, no messing anymore!"

Couldn't even hear Travis plead and pout,

Sun seeped to night, stars bled out glow.

Alice Faye stood back, squinting by moon,

Shocked at fence length, over a mile,

After her outburst Travis had left soon,

Smiled despite ache and exhaustion.

The no, spanked out as a wee child,

Found it's way home to her instinct,

Feeling brave, outspoken and wild,

Throw off halter, built her own boundary.