she told me
she wanted to be
the next page
in my journal

i asked her
what page she
thought she would be
bettie or bible

a smile flashed
telling me she planned
on being equal
parts heaven and hell

i smiled back
and slowly vanished
in front of her
disbelieving gaze

all that remained
were the blank pages
gleefully torn
from my heart’s journal

a fluttering trail
which never managed
to lead anywhere
close to happily ever after