Today Sally told me she caught her lover cheating.
They were together ten years and married for three.
She was shocked as I, the man was sweet as could be.
So I wept for her grief, but I also wept for me.
Sally pondered missed signs, but I stopped her right there.
I saw my dearest with others, beaming like the sun
But never did I question if I was her one – no just or
fair warning could have lessened the stun.
My cherished didn’t cheat, but she never chose me.
Her thoughts far away as she would rock me to sleep,
Her tone frigid and cutting when hurt made me weep.
But still I believed my mother was mine to keep.
I never smelled perfume on my freshly washed sheets
But there was a day I learned my house wasn’t safe for me
That the chest I wept in would drown my heart at sea And
the face I loved was no longer trustworthy.
Samantha Rafalowski lives in Asheville, NC with her partner and an ever-growing number of pets. Despite her favorite subject always being English, she somehow graduated from the University of Virginia with an engineering degree. She has now found her way back to writing in the tech sector. When she is not working or feeling her feelings, she enjoys hiking, gardening, painting, and indulging in reality TV.
Samantha, I'm also a writer who chose the more "sensible" path of engineering. Thank you for sharing this experience, difficult as it may be; I found the shift from cheater to parent quite poignant.