Gemotions

The sound of the saw sliced through the quiet afternoon. He'd been looking forward to a walk, to escape. But now, as the fence started going up, he felt anchored, weighed down.

He watched the workmen from his living room window, a cup of lukewarm tea forgotten in his hand. The yard, once a shared space, was now bisected. The fence a dark line. A permanent scar on the landscape.

He thought of the plans he’d made, the dreams he had. The travel, the experiences. All of it seemed remote. The fence. The obligations. The day-to-day. All of it closing in.

He took a long sip of his tea, the bitterness mirroring his mood.