For the Other Woman: A Body at Rest

First of a series about a love quadrangle, for a contest

No, chica.

No, no, and no.

There are things you just do not say

to another woman.

Call me a coward if you want.

Call me misguided. Call me a thief.

Attack me with your contempt.

But never say I was only, obsessed.

Do not diminish me like that.

 

While you were warm in your bed

at night, do you have any idea how many

times I stood naked in the cold rain

and storm, listening to the wind howl

before I realized, it was my soul,

that was screaming?

You do not know what dreams

I cut out of my own body

with dull knives, to give yours back.

You cannot fathom what hell

I descended into

for you to know the peace of heaven.

 

You say, "obsessed." 

But I was detached enough,

to cross the desert of my heart

and walk away.

I can live alone. I can go 5 hours,

without talking to a man.

Can you?

I let my lovers explore who I am

to them; I let them be separate

in their aloneness, with me. Nobody

completes me, because I complete

myself. My body knows the language

of eons; if I chose to share

that knowledge with him, it is because

we both wanted to learn

some new words. Tender ones.

Passionate. Critical. Questioning.

Not one moment, anything nearly

as boring, as mere obsession.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we have to complete ourselves, no other person can do that for us...and if we are complete...we work so much better as a couple.
i was completely absorbed in this from first word to last...
we often need to be with someone who challenges us...makes us an even better version of ourselves.
j.

[Chris]

Five hours huh - the same man or "any" man?

To say I 'merely' liked this one would be silly - does my grin give THAT away? To me THIS would be THE woman to walk BESIDE... to turn to ...to speak WITH.