A Rich Woman's Wedding Anniversary

Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.

My head departs the pillow,

My fist meets the clock,

My  blue eyes start to open,

And I hear a knock-knock,

I sit in the bed, I cruse and I swear,

I don't even slightly care,

For even this special morning,

I don’t see you here,

Your side of the bed is neatly untouched, again…

I reclaim the ghost of that smile,

That time has stolen for a while,

For ten, long, loveless years,

I go along with what I hear,

I run in that race,

I've even counted the days,

Until I could fake it once more,

Gossips, rumors everywhere,

My nosy neighbors ask and stare,

"What will you give him?"

"What will you wear?"

For every night that's passed,

I thought I owned it all,

Each single item between these walls,

And as a price, you've trapped my soul.

But no, I owned nothing, nothing at all,

Nothing except one…

I bought you a suit with your money,

But I accidentally ruined it,

I thought of an artistic touch,

To hide the awful stain,

But that touch was not mine,

I watched the maid you've hired,

As she hummed, forming the lines,

Crossing the cloth with a needle,

Stitching in a manner, so fine…

 

That suit would be just right,

A simple gratitude in return,

A 'thanks' for the pearls of white,

That I'd pretend to be surprised about,

You'd kiss my palms and take me out,

We’d take a ride on the boat you rent,

You'd pour me a drink and feed me a bite,

From the cocktail shrimp and other delights,

All paid with your money, and I know it,

From the endless depths of your wallet,

 

And as for the chocolate box,

I'd keep it for my other,

The serenade singer not another,

Who clings to me for your money,

Whom you'd pay to sing for me tonight,

And nights like this one every year,

But you're far too busy to notice,

And you might never find out,

So, I barely need to sneak,

And I can never be too loud,

On my way to another man's arms,

On my way to fill the gaps you left,

To hear the things I need to hear,

Yet see the lies in his eye so clear…

 

Yes, even him I do not own,

As soon as your money fades,

He too would be gone,

You've taken over everything,

The boats, cars, and the streets,

Those women at your office,

Whose perfumes smell so sweet,

Molding with your body, head to feet,

 

Ah, but wait... Just wait,

That's what this day's for,

I take it back at this date,

The only thing I've ever owned,

I greet the reflection in the glass,

I comb the golden curls,

I glance at the perfect stance,

And I paint my face with that smile,

My smile…

The one that had you fallen from the start,

The one you couldn't wait to see,

Every single day after that,

The one that wraps you tighter,

Tighter around my finger,

My fingers tightly around your heart,

Then you smile back, you linger,

Waiting for my fingers to snap,

And every time it works,

Sets you back in my trap,

And it pulls you closer to me,

Along with your leather wallet…

 

Happy Anniversary darling!

Would you like some brownies?

I made them myself this morning.

Author's Note

The rhymes are sort of banal...but its the idea that counts. Any comments?

Reviews

[Erin]

You captured this scene and the characters well. I liked the tone and the repitition. From what the title was, I was expecting something completely different, but this is deep, profound side of what you could have wrote about given the title. I really liked it. Nice job.
PBP

[hannahspelledbackwards]

This is very clever. I love how it's a story and a poem at the same time.
Good job!

[mamabear]

I absolutely love it............well done.
Well written and really enjoyable. Thank you for sharing.

love

Mamabear x

Great idea here. I enjoyed this!

[Cafe Reader]

Very smart writing! A good poem very well put together! I like it!

[kaylynnmelody♥]

very creative and very powerful poem. thanks for sharing this peice.. it had a very strong voice and the tone was perfect. thanks for sharing. keep writing. -kaylynnmelody♥

[Geralyn Miller]

Long ago and far away, I knew a couple like this, they always made me sad, stayed together to the bitter end. She died in March, their two children didn't bother to show for the funeral. He died in September, again, no kids at the funeral. They both showed up for the reading of the will!! Wonder why?

[Rodney Russ]

It's a very creative poem. I'm not crazy about rhyming poems. Very few writers can pull it off.

[.]

there is a bitterness running through this..to think people actually stay in marriages and relationships with these feelings..it must eat you from the inside...thoughtful piece

[Zane]

This was really good. You might want to double check for spelling errors though.