On the Eve of Your Divorce

This poem is dedicated to my dear friend AAC.

On the eve of your divorce,

I want you to remember

That you haven’t lost love.

You found it the day you met her.

And that love endures,

Not only in your two beautiful daughters,

But also in the way that you and your ex

Treat each other.

I am inspired by how you move

With each other’s tides,

Adapting your schedules seamlessly

To help each other out.

She gets a new job?

You take the kids to school every morning.

One of you has concert tickets?

The other fills in.

One of you is going through a rough time?

The other is there for her,

Listening and supporting,

No matter what is on your plate.

Remember too that since your breakup

You have learned,

To open yourself up,

To new experiences and feelings,

And you have rediscovered yourself,

Which is no small feat.

Oh my sweet friend

With your heart wide open,

I know that you are feeling tender tonight.

Remember that I love you and

So appreciate having

A comrade in peaceful divorceland.

Tomorrow you will untie the knot,

And the one in your stomach will ease too.

Well-being will flow back into your body

Because the hard transition,

You have already made.

And you know that the decision was right

For you, for her, and for your sweet daughters.

Tomorrow is not only an ending,

But a beginning too.

I look forward to being

An observer and co-conspirator

As your future unfurls,

Like a flower reaching for the sun.

Routine: Balm or Bugger?

Photo by Lisa Echevarria

Ah routine: balm or bugger? Sometimes

I think it killed my marriage,

Relegating us to drudgery and boredom.

Yet it fuels our peaceful divorce.

We do family dinner each Friday

And call each other every day

On our way to work to

Share the morning sendoff and marvel

Over our beautiful and charming children

And the sweet things they do.

When we divorced, my new partners

Were just that…shiny and new.

Now I’m starting to crave familiarity,

Like a warm, soft blanket that

Makes me feel cozy and secure.

Oh but I need adventure too.

I want my heart to race,

Adrenalin to course through my veins.

As I jump off a cliff

In exhilaration…only to safely land

into the loving arms of routine.

* * * * * * * *

It is Friday so you may know my new routine, one that I cherish, Six Word Fridays.