The Hostage

The first words out of his mouth -

“No one is going anywhere,”

Which made me wonder

Why I was so worried

About the weird, clicking sound

My car had been making all week

Or

That doctor’s appointment

I had been putting off

Or

That loose cough my wife

Just couldn’t shake

Or

The salary increase that never

Appeared in my check.

Yeah,

It wasn’t the gun

Or the blindfold -

Not even the barricaded door

That made me realize -

No one is going anywhere.