Deceit

May 30, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

“I’d like to get you know more,”he said, pulling up a chairmet with stunned silence “Truly,” he prodded, “I feelas if we’ve drifted apart,and I’ve ignored us.” I might have said “No kidding”but hope swelled with his wordsand I blurted: “Ask away.” So he listened,as he had that first nightwhen tipsy and enamoured We’d stumbled […]

Marital Dance

April 25, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

We converse in actionswords inaccessible –have not been schooled in dialogues for two. His clutter spreadspronounce’s a kinglypresence, commandsattention, oppresses I clean with insistenceshuffle papers, wipe upcrumbs, assert my rightto co-exist, belittle him. Once we studied dance;he learning to lead, Ito follow signals – the artis lost on us now, our steps more interference, blockingan […]

Irreconcilable Differences

February 25, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Could talk for lengthsabout manifolds,hydraulics – handsstained with grease And when I offeredcarefully manicuredheart, spoke wordsof togetherness Silence engulfed himducking beneath hoodwrench twisting –relationship vanished (Image mine)

Not All Wins Are Monetary

February 10, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Gambled late in life –one more spin on love’s wheel –we got lucky You’ll need protection,ego said,and led me down pathssoaked with yesterday’s tears-annoyances nipping at progress But I am strong-willedbetter than that,I said, choosing to followa different route The roulette wheel spinsand here I sit, alonecounting my wins No amount of bargainingcan alter current […]

Love Keeps Pace

January 26, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Anfractuous connotes splintered, yet you and I,never broken, dancea circuitous routelost in personal reveriesinterlocking threadssolid as the symbolsadorning ring fingers. (Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own.)

Call It Denial

September 19, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

He polishes chromewhile she shuffles Tarot Luck temporarily suspended by edicts Life in limbo highlightsthe chasm – incommunicado They maintain distancechoking on tension Define this as home… (Image mine)

Crazy-Making

September 6, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Happiness, he says,is your responsibilityand then… If you love me enough…If you showed more appreciation…If you lost a little weight… and… Clearly, not my problem. Really? Is it always just me? (For Reena’s Exploration challenge #151: Is it always me? Image mine)

Toxicity

March 19, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Sold my soul for union – destruction built-in Narcissism is a bastard luxuriates in self-catering Did not anticipate loss – innocence slaughtered Force to grow sensibility don a tough shell – Would not let betrayal call me by name. It was not meandering that shredded my heart but the loss of a child caught in […]

Window Cleaning

January 17, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Married addiction adopted denial settled for basics Espoused spirituality ignored infidelity, pulled down the blinds. Believed compassion could compensate for indifference. Limited my outlook to windows, too insecure to de-smudge the pane. Missed the gaping doorways, the blatant rudeness of belligerent disrespect Till withdrawal prompted accountability, commanded ownership, changed the lock. (Image from personal collection.)

Old Codgers

August 5, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Idleness fills his hours as if time knows no limits I devour moments, afraid tomorrow will forget me we see-saw between treacherous righteousness and fusty avoidance ignoring balance – a sensible response. (Inspired by the perils of an aging marriage, and submitted for Ragtag Community’s prompt: fusty.) Image from personal collection.