the ex-wife

he wants me back
he's angry that I left him

he left me actually

he lies

he hurt me

he hurt the children

he was cruel to me

he was cruel to the children

he threatened to kill me

he held a knife to my throat

I sigh

I shrug

every excuse but the truth

but I know who I was then

as I know who I am now

just a faithful husband

and a loyal man

an old friend

love isn’t an exact science
an equation extrapolated
and proved
it is the coat we borrow
when we are cold
or the hand pulling us back
from the edge
it is the kiss
we do not expect
but at the moment
we need it the most
it does not own you
nor does it allow itself to be owned
you can call all your angels
and pray to all your gods
but love listens only to the lonely
and the lost
and it always arrives like an old friend
who we thought after so many years

had forgotten us

28^th February 2009