Need

You needed a friend that would listen as your life fell apart
I gave you my ear

You needed sympathy and compassion as she abandoned you without looking back
I gave you my hand

You needed to grieve for the future you wouldn't have
I gave you my shoulder

You needed to feel alive and sure of yourself
I gave you my body

You needed a companion to pass the nights
I gave you my bed

You needed time as you tried to get your legs under you again
I gave you space

You needed to keep secrets as you explored your new world
I gave you my word

You needed someone at your beckon call
I gave you my dignity

You needed to think about things
I gave you my tears

You needed to move on
I gave you freedom

Somewhere during all of this, I gave you my heart
Sadly, it was the one thing you never needed

"Paved Paradise"

It's been a long time since I paved paradise
My blissfully intoxicating ignorance of youth has left me
The needs far surpass the wants
Everyday life is a bittersweet gift now
I am grateful for the job I once tollerated
The future is no longer a dream
It is inconsequential
The here and now must be dealt with before I entertain what might be
Is it considered theft when you steal from yourself?
Careless, Selfish and Greedy are calling in the note
The wick is gone and I'm standing in the ashes
Obligation and necessity have entered an epic battle
With a sling shot and stone, I fight the beast
But when it's over will there be anything left to salvage?
Does it ever end?
Or is the pavement so thick that trees will never grow again?
Even still...I hold out hope.

His

His eyes
his mouth
his smell
...captivate me

His hands
his shoulders
his presence
...invade my mind

Right or wrong
acceptable or not
...I am without defense

One look
one gesture
one word
...He has me

Without caution
without dignity
without regret
...I am at his mercy

Powerless against his touch
I need not be convinced of what I already know

...I am his

Remember Me

When life has used this vessel
to carry me into my final days
Forget not who I was and
how much I wanted to stay

When the lines on my face distract you
and my hair has turned white
Remember how I chased away the demons
haunting you at night

When my flesh is sagging from my bones
and I can barely hear
Remember that I cradled you in my arms
and sang softly in your ear

When my body aches and my cautious gait
has begun to slow your pace
Remember that I love you more
with every breath I struggle to take

When I am lost within myself and
you are unable to talk with me
Remember how I stroked your hair
as you sat upon my knee

When you convince yourself that it
is inhumane to exist the way I do
Remember when I held your hand
and taught you how to tie your shoes

When you're finally tired and angry
from supplying my every need
Remember that this is not how
I wanted it to be

Someday peace will come
and the Lord will take me home
All I ask is that you remember me
when to a better place I've gone

The House Without a Wife

I saw him again tonight as I took my evening stroll
Unfolding his tall frame, he emerged from his rusted blue Chevy
and slowly made his way toward
the house without a wife

Dirty windows, loose gutters and sagging shutters
welcome him home as he passes window boxes
void of her favorite lavender flowers
and overgrown shrubs blanketed by
brilliant red leaves the Old Oak shed like tears
at the house without a wife

Carelessly tossed garden boots sit under
the wrought-iron table
holding a well-worn book
A thin red ribbon marks the last page she read
And the cool wind gently pushes the rickety swing as it sings it's sad song
for the house without a wife

His hand closes on the tarnished knob and he slips quietly inside
Soft light shines across the front lawn from thinly veiled windows
and I wait, as has become my habit when i find myself in front of
the house without a wife

Curiosity paralyzes me as my mind wonders over what his life has become
His nest is empty and I have seen no visitors
The flicker of the television has become his constant companion
inside the house without a wife

Has he mourned his fill or does he still weep at day's end?
Does he long for a friend or would he prefer to wallow in the grief of his loss?
If I knocked would he turn me away or invite me
into the house without a wife?

Regrettably, my courage is thin and I do not leave my distant post
Rather I say another silent prayer
And as I have a thousand evenings before, I walk away unnoticed
from the house without a wife