One year and five days ago
You left me stranded
On the bedside
Of a twenty-five year marriage
I had thought
Happy.
One year and five days ago
I became a statistic,
A casualty of time,
As I was traded in
For a newer, better model,
With bigger boobs
And fewer brains,
And no child-birthing scars.
One year and five days ago,
You took off your ring, and
Without realizing it,
You set me free
To pursue the life
Put on hold
By the demands
Of your education
And career.
In one year and five days
I have
Stepped out of your shadow
And into the sunlight,
And now I bask in the warmth
Of my own accomplishments
And my own circle of friends
While you, I understand,
Struggle to satisfy
The insatiable appetites
Of the beautiful leech
You bound yourself to.
Smiling to myself,
I silently toast you
With my mai tai
And watch my tall, well-built companion
Leave the waters for the beach
And stride confidently to where I lounge
On a towel in the sand.
"You're smiling," he observes in a husky voice,
"Tahiti suits you."
"Yes," I agree, "It does."
And I laugh because,
After a year and five days,
I can.

c. 2016

Image by Michelle Maria from Pixabay