A Love Forbidden

to love a married man? scandalous love triangle? let's write a poem....

Scrambling through all dusky thought

The motion of a stealthy love

Darting in and out and fraught

With doubt,

A headstone on the plot of pain.

 

Desire seldom follows rules as it

Skirts the outer brink of truth,

One’s youth may seem to excuse

The brashest passion,

The fervent hopes resounding with

The hollowed call of propriety

In need.

 

The obvious facts are brushed away,

The forensic traces of troubled truth

Can cloud all judgment, an ethical question

Cluttered by the hope of youth.

The wrong seems right

With signals crossed.

 

dan © 2015

 

Music: “Happy Home,” by Antigone Rising

Author's Note

Reviews

[...]

Hi Dan :) awesome write, as usual. I'm pulled to say that all things happen for a reason. Had this not happened to you, would you still be in that relationship? Seems you are very happy with the one you are in now :) Just pulling in a little bright side, my friend.

[dan]

Oh lynn, the one in this write happened about 38 years ago, I don't know if she's even alive. I think that bad relationships prepare us to recognize a great one when it finally comes along. And that IS a very good reason. Thank you for the insight. take care...dan

[Mayank]

A wrong circle sugared with right. I love the way you have crafted the words.

[dan]

For me an easy topic to write about. Thank you for your kind words. take care...dan

[cemily]

I really like this. Although I do not agree with cheating, I can understand that it is not always malicious or intentional. This piece shows the other perspective that is rarely seen, or at least I rarely see it. Overall, great job.

[dan]

Emily, Thanks so much for your insightful review. I always appreciate thoughtful feedback. take care...dan

[GreenEyedPoet]

I've never agreed with cheating, or honestly understood it [I think if you want to cheat you should just end whatever relationship you're in. It would hurt the other person a lot less then you cheating on them]. But I guess I get how it could easily happen, sometimes with the person not even realizing it at first [like in the sense of cheating emotionally].
Anyways great write Dan. :]

[dan]

GEP, This has a bit of an autobiographical tint to it, but I really just wanted to generalize so I'll spare you the sad song. Thanks so much for your insightful review. take care...dan

[GreenEyedPoet]

I'm sorry this is something that you've experienced. :/

[Crystal Overmeyer-Birmi..]

I really like this piece. I dont agree with the cheating, but totally understand how if left unchecked feels run away on us humans. LOVE
The obvious facts are brushed away,


The forensic traces of troubled truth


Can cloud all judgment, an ethical question


Cluttered by the hope of youth.


The wrong seems right


With signals crossed.

Totally ties it together

[dan]

Crystal, like I wrote in my into review I like to allow the reader to interpret the piece as they see fit. And their interpretation is ALWAYS correct. Give the reader enough rope and they will hang some outstanding interpretations on the branches of the poetry tree. Thanks again for your review. take care...dan

[B]

oh my

that is so wrong
And unfair

Never
Not a married person
that is just plain out horrible

[dan]

Nisreenaa, I agree SO much. My ex-wife did a number on me that way...crushed my spirit for a number of years after. 23 years together with my now and forever wife. I wised up and got it right this time. Thanks so much for the read/review. take care...dan

[Nadia Gerassimenko]

You seem to be spot on when describing having an affair. It is usually ever reflected upon, it is driven by passion and impulses...wrong actions feeling right, being blind to what is happening and how it can affect others.

[dan]

Nadia, Thank you for your perspective on the issue. I appreciate you dropping in. take care...dan

[MsJewel]

Cluttered by the hope of youth.
The wrong seems right
With signals crossed.

Rights and wrongs can be cluttered when it comes to affairs of the heart. You have expressed this so well in this wonderfully penned poem.

:) Julie

[dan]

Thank you Julie, and just so you know I'm still dabbing my eyes after that beautiful tribute to your dad that I reviewed. Simply amazing. Thanks again. take care...dan

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

"A headstone on the plot of pain." ... I just love this.

While I appreciate your point of view on this issue, I also appreciate the other side of the coin, that being the truth of pain within a marriage that leads one to have an affair. I think so many people fail to be honest with themselves; and if they are, they can't bring themselves to be honest about their feelings with their spouses. If people weren't so afraid of opening up and speaking the truth of the heart, they wouldn't find themselves trapped in heartless affairs.

Say, for example, that a husband fails to be emotionally available to his wife. She, in turn, becomes sexually unavailable to him. He, then, goes out and has sex with another. He has to meet his need somehow. She has to meet hers somehow so she has an emotional affair with another. It's a vicious cycle. How much could have been remedied by her sitting down and having a deep conversation about how she feels and what she needs! At least then, he would have been able to try and make an effort to effect a change. Without communicating her needs, she shuts down; and he believes she's not attracted to him anymore. It's insanity.

As smart as human beings are, they seem to forget to communicate with one another. Lips aren't just for passionate kisses.

Signals crossed indeed!

Very well written!

[dan]

Linda, My only problem with cheating is due to my upbringing. My first marriage was a disaster; it wasn't a matter of "will it last?" but "how soon will it crash and burn?" We were together ONLY for our son (my ex just told my son two years ago...when he was 30...and he told me that I was not his biological father--the final cut) and it broke my heart when I learned that she was cheating on me while I was overseas serving in the Navy. But, like I wrote in one of my heartbreak poems, "the heart that has never been broken has never been touched." So life continued and my now and forever wife and I literally stumbled into one another, soothing the still-lingering wounds.
I read one of your poems and reviewed it ("June"), it is simply stunning. I was more that impressed with your profile also, probably the most complete one I've read. To say your taste in music is eclectic is like saying the Pacific is wet. As a rabid music lover this captured my attention immediately. I liked the quotes you cited (although Maya Angelou seemingly ripped off that fighter pilot with her poem the President read after the Challenger explosion..."we slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God." I hope I'm wrong about the plagiarism.) One of my favorite quotes about writing is (and I'm sorry I don't know the name of the one quoted), "It's better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self." It's a pleasure to "meet you," and I will stop by and review some more of your writing real soon. take care...dan

[Robert]

Good one Dan. "Desire seldom follows rules as it" this is true especially in youth. But it doesn't make it an excuse. Another good write and interesting topic. Youth! We all did stupid things in our youth.

[dan]

Don't know who said it, but it's been said that youth is wasted on the young. Sounds about right to me. Thanks, as always, for the kind words. take care...dan