The Man
There is a man
And he has a wife
He loves her with his all
She saved him
Quelled the loneliness
That ate him from within
Together they made a home
And she grew him babies
So he wouldn’t be lonely
His family
He looks after them
But his soul hurts
And his heart is bruised
For his wife…
His beautiful, intelligent, talented wife
Keeps nearly dying
And all he can do is watch
As she battles on the hospital beds
Sickness cloaking her
Scrubbing her away
Almost it took
His little family
Before it had even properly begun
And when she can not be
Everything she knows she is
It brings a sadness
That all his hugs and kittens
Can not lift
Yet the moments between
When she is herself in fullness
When she is vibrant and keen
These he knows as the danger times
Sick for so long
She has no idea of her own limits
And she never did know when to quit
He wants to stop her play
She could be injured…
She could be killed
There have been too many ambulances
Too many x-rays and scans
And he is scared for her
One day she will kill herself
By being full of life
Or she will wither in pain and illness
On a bed craving those joys and freedoms
And he watches on – hurting and conflicted
Because if he actually was to stop her…
He would destroy her spirit
Something that should never be done
Secretly he hopes
Her art does not sell
He has built his home
His hopes around it
Pictures on the walls
Sock monsters in the kids beds
Manuscripts on the bookcases
So many there is no room for actual books
Musical instruments encroach on the living room
Lumpy knits are worn to unravelling
Mini-sculptures gather dust on the each and every shelf
Awards, certificates and medals placed with pride
Wood turned toys and hand made rugs
He lets her paint and stick and sew and build each room
In tacky shades of self
Even when it is not what he would have picked
Because one day…
One day…
All those things
Might be all he has left of her
And he knows the bleakness is still there
Just damned by her presence
Sometimes the thought makes him weep
Posted: Monday, March 12th, 2018 @ 9:33 am
Categories: Poems, The Ghost and the Snail.
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