It's nice to be in a relationship and to be given the gift of time.

Time for "us" to evolve;
without the push toward marriage and children that existed at an earlier stage of life.

The sense of "been there, done that" removes the urgency to pigeonhole our relationship into a neat, tightly defined societal slot.

The luxury of letting it be what it is, at any given moment, knowing that it's open to change is, I suppose, both the good news and the bad news.

For right now, it feels like a wonderful place to be.

Thunder rolls over the house,
rattling windows, demanding entry.

Lightening crackles
like a pinball machine gone
haywire.

And I, always the most fearful of our family about storms,
for once, am glad for such a turbulent night.

Glad that the turmoil and rage in my head and my heart
can still not be outdone
by the elements outside.

As a child, I was terrified of being consumed by the fury
of such a storm.

Now, I'm not sure where the greatest dangers lie -
those from within or from without -

And if, when you're in the process of being destroyed,
it truly matters from what direction the devastation comes.

My view of the world and my place in it is that
men create the messes
and I pick up the pieces
by myself
alone.

Until you.

You believe that these feelings are our problem,
something to be faced together,
to be shared.

And I'm scared.

Every few days, I take out pieces of my pain
and hit you over the head with them
trying to drive you away
so that I will be picking up the pieces
by myself
alone.

And my view of the world
and my place in it
will be restored.